Underground Cities, a Chandler-based five-piece, released The Dalliance Album earlier this year featuring five instrumental tracks of oceanic tinge. UC blends surf rock inspired reverb, merging it with the epic build-up instrumental that post-rock is known for. UC creates a potent album that compliments late night drives and sherbet skies, where words would ruin the meaning of the moment.
The Dalliance Album should be treated as a collection of short stories, each a work of its own, but collectively it creates something greater. Tracks flow into one another without overly distracting transitions and the pacing is spot on, with moments of rampant energy then returning, reclusive, to calm.
Though sharing similar characteristics to successful bands such as The Mercury Program and you.may.die.in.the.desert, Underground Cities makes an effort to diverge from the expectancies that plague the genre. Their sound is polished and constantly changing long before rifts become tedious and repetitive. Though some transitions come unexpectedly and can be a little jarring, pace returns and all is forgiven.
Their longest track, “Six Years on This Road,” closes the album with a reoccurring rise and fall of tempo, finally unleashing a rhythm that you can’t help but pound your steering wheel to. I recommend The Dalliance Album to anyone in need of a soundtrack to their busy life or someone in dire need of rocking the fuck out. It sets high expectations for follow-up albums. Keep watch on this band.
