Radiation City
Synesthetica
After two well-received full-lengths and an EP under its belt, Radiation Citys founding couple Cameron Spies and Lizzy Ellison were falling apart. Rad City, a tight-as-family band that always seemed to work so effortlessly off- and onstage, was on the verge of calling it quits. Then a funny thing happened: Spies and Ellison got together to record some new, urgent and semi-spontaneous songs and rediscovered that old magic. Radiation City was not going to polish up its old style for Synesthetica; it was going to completely overhaul both its process and its sound. After recording with John Vanderslice (Spoon, Death Cab For Cutie) at Tiny Telephone Studios, the band took its new directive back to Portland and turned to Jeremy Sherrer (Modest Mouse, Gossip) at Ice Cream Party to flesh out its studio sessions. Synesthetica is sensual and synthetic in equal turns-just check out the Bond-worthy "Butter" or the explosive "Milky White" for proof. Synthesizers comprise a major piece of the bands musical puzzle, especially on the trippy "Juicy" and the minimal "Sugar Broom," which nods toward Portland legends (and Rad City homies), STRFKR. Synesthetica almost killed this band, but instead, it serves as the opening salvo of a monumental second act, and Radiation City is invincible.