We Are the City

Vancouver, BC's ever-fractured music scene has coalesced into two camps recently: the noisy punk bands that rallied around the Emergency Room when it existed and the indie pop sound of groups like Hey Rosetta and Said the Whale. We Are the City fall firmly in the latter category, with the Zolas' Tom Dobrzanski producing their debut full-length. But unlike their contemporaries, We Are the City haven't carved out a space for themselves. Their music is chime-y, piano-driven, anthemic rock, not unlike Coldplay's early records. That's not a put down, as the trio, originally from Kelowna, are quite good at what they do. But In a Quiet World sounds like a band out to make a grand statement, something the album fails to do sonically and lyrically. A minor success, In a Quiet World is a modest coming out party for a band that will hopefully do big things in the future.