We are the City has been a band for over a decade, and have certainly done things their own way the whole time. Singer/keyboardist Cayne McKenzie, drummer Andrew Huculiak, and guitarist David Menzel started We Are the City when they were just teenagers, and have never shied away from using it as an outlet for their creative desires.

In 2011 We Are the City unveiled masked alter-egos with their High School EP, and in 2013 dropped Violent accompanied with a Norwegian-language film, and in 2015 staged a live-stream of their recording session for Above Club. Now, We Are the City have experienced growing up together, and with all of the glory and tragedy, have put together some of their most honest and sincere music to date.

The band will be releasing their new album, RIP, on January 25th via Tooth & Nail Records — acting as the progressive-pop counterpoint to last year’s experimental At Night. RIP was created by We Are the City when they returned to the basement of McKenzie’s family home where the band was first formed. “We went back to where it started, and that was pretty potent,” reflects Andy. “There a few times on the record where Cayne’s almost crying when he sings, and I just don’t know if you could get that in a studio in the same way. It was really capturing an honest and true feeling of where we’re at right now.”

Today, Substream is excited to be teaming up with We Are the City to bring an exclusive premiere of their unique new music video for “Killer B-Side Music” off of RIP. The band has a $3200 budget for the video, and used $3000 of that on the location alone. They went into a luxury hotel room with only their smartphones (decked with Moment Lenses) and were able to put together the end result.

“It was us, our phones, Instagram live and a loud hotel room. With no set plan, we chased whims all night, slept one hour, shot the sunrise and continued from there,” Huculiak explains to Substream. “Sometimes the most inspiring art to witness is art within your capabilities — you see the ingredients, the recipe, how it was put together, and that’s inspiring because you realize you’re capable of the same thing. You are the technician. You have access to the tools.”

Tour dates:

Feb 19 2020 – Dresden, Germany @ Ostpol

Feb 20 2020 – Vienna, Austria @ B72

Feb 21 2020 – Steyr, Austria @ Roeda

Feb 22 2020 – Weyer, Austria @ Bertholdssaal

Feb 24 2020 – Munich, Germany @ Milla

Feb 26 2020 – Prague, Czech Republic @ Palace Akropolis

Feb 28 2020 – Baden, Switzerland @ Werkk

Feb 29 2020 – Mainz, Germany @ Schon Schoen

Mar 01 2020 – Utrecht, Netherlands @ Club 9

Mar 02 2020 – London, England @ The Grace

Mar 04 2020 – Antwerpen, Belgium @ Trix

Mar 05 2020 – Dortmund, Germany @ Tyde Studios

Mar 06 2020 – Hamburg, Germany @ Molotow

Mar 07 2020 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Vega (Ideal Bar)

Mar 08 2020 – Berlin, Germany @ Musik & Frieden