The AU Review has given this humble Melbourne act a lot of love over the last 12 months, though not many other bands really deserve the praise this band gets. They have to be one of the hardest working live bands making their way around the local traps, and now it’s time to show how it’s all paid off with the release of their debut self titled ep.

City Calm Down’s music has never exactly been my taste, but they do what they do so fucking well it’s hard not to be impressed, and this ep is definitely no exception.

The ep covers all the right influences for their dance-riddled sound, from the “Madchester” acts of New Order through to the commonly mentioned Cut Copy and Presets. It opens with ‘Lost. Trapped’, and though a little slower to their other tunes, it immediately displays the danceability and energy of the band’s songwriting.
‘ Right from Right’ is sharp, the synthesiser and basslines are smooth before a simplistic and upbeat chorus jumps in with call you can call along with.

Anyone who already knows of this band will be happy to know crowd-pleaser and floor-filler ‘You Could Have It So Much Better’ makes an appearance, taking the spot of picture-perfect dance-pop song, jumpy drums and synth bounce along to make sure any feet don’t slow down, Jack’s vocoded voice adding a bit of a mystical air to the track and of course that saxophone solo giving it a big, 1980’s disco sound.

This is a great little local release, and it’s good to see the amount of time and effort the band has put into finally getting it out there for their growing fan base, is paying off!

8/10