SAN CISCO RELEASE FIFTH STUDIO ALBUM UNDER THE LIGHT OUT NOW EVERYWHERE VIA ISLAND CITY RECORDS + FOCUS TRACK ‘CONSEQUENCE’
Image credit: Olivia Senior
“Australian indie powerhouse”
- WONDERLAND MAGAZINE
“San Cisco are characteristically unafraid to look at life through a more complex lens.”
- ATWOOD MAGAZINE
“The band’s subtle blend of indie and alt-pop makes for engrossing listening”
- CLASH MAGAZINE
“The track is a perfect example of the band’s signature style, blending delicate and introspective lyrics with a mesmerizing melody that lingers in the mind long after the song is over.”
- HAPPY MAGAZINE
“Credit to the trio whose shared vision is perfectly aligned”
- NME
Today, Australian indie royalty San Cisco have released their highly anticipated fifth studio album, Under The Light, out now everywhere via Island City Records.
Like tears on New Year's Eve catching the glitter of fireworks at midnight, San Cisco’s fifth LP, Under the Light, strikes the delicate balance between euphoria and melancholy that elevates the best pop music from a good time to something more like a cherished friend. Under The Light sees the trio enter a new phase of maturity, vulnerability and experimentation both musically and lyrically - a record the band are proud to say “truly embodies the genuine essence of San Cisco.”
Featuring recent singles ‘Lost Without You’, ‘Horoscope’, ‘Honeycomb’, ‘High', ‘Summer Days’ and album title track ‘Under The Light’, the three-piece have entered decidedly more heady territory, both musically and lyrically, introducing elements such as string sections, electronic, garage and house music. Arguably the most dance floor ready track of the record if not the band’s discography, album focus track ‘Consequence’ is a perfect example of the new territories the band have explored on this record.
“It used to be more turbo, but we dialled it back” the band joke. In classic San Cisco form, ‘Consequence’ balances an upbeat, dancey melody with incredibly introspective, emotional lyricism. On the meaning of the song, San Cisco explain “There are people that move through life like a wrecking ball. Complete disregard for the damage they inflict to the people they hold close. No amount of attention will fill their cup all the while they are sucking yours dry. When and where do you set the boundary and choose to prioritize your own happiness? It’s never easy to make the call when you find yourself moonlighting as an emotional boxing bag for someone you love.”
Spending the majority of 2023 deep in studio sessions split between LA and Fremantle, Under The Light is a collaborative work with producer James Ireland (Pond, Cuco) and mixed by Grammy award winning engineer Neal H. Pogue (Steve Lacy, Tyler The Creator, Outkast) and Anthony Dolhai (Mø, Carly Rae Jepsen, Kesha), and features collaborations with Tame Impala & POND members Jay Watson and Nicholas Allbrook.
“Collaborating with our close friend and producer, James Ireland, was an exciting and fresh journey that allowed us to fully actualise our musical aspirations. The album was predominantly written and recorded in our studio, kitchens, and living rooms at home in Fremantle” the band explain.“This unique experience was unlike anything we've undertaken before, and we couldn't be prouder of this body of work.”
Under The Light is the sound of a beloved bastion of indie-pop emerging, growing, and contorting as they explore new collaborations, instrumentation, and songwriting techniques. Thematically, the album title could just as well be referring to the endless blue of a West Australian summer as a dentist's chair or interrogation room, as we see the band more emotionally exposed than ever before. Face to face with the cruelty of a changing world, San Cisco searches for meaning, stares down the moral ambiguities of adulthood and relationships, and sings a sun-speckled song to human kindness.
Under The Light, the fifth studio album from San Cisco is out now everywhere via Island City Records, listen / stream here.
Hailing from Fremantle, Western Australia, throughout their illustrious ten-year career indie-pop three-piece San Cisco have become one of Australia’s most successful independent artists amassing multiple accolades. Garnering millions of streams and critical acclaim through the release of four studio albums, San Cisco have toured the world selling out headline shows and appearing at festivals such as Splendour In The Grass, Lollapalooza, Reading & Leeds and many more. San Cisco’s fourth studio album Between You and Me in late 2020 - an album two years and at least one sadly remembered love affair in the making - reached top three in the ARIA Album Charts and featured leading Hottest 100 charting singles ‘When I Dream’, ‘Skin’, festival anthems ‘Reasons’ and ‘On The Line’.
Renowned for their high-energy live show, San Cisco have taken the stage recently Bass In The Grass (NT), Dream Machine (Bali), Be Social Fest (QLD), Melbourne’s Formula 1 Grand Prix (VIC) and the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix, as well as headlining the FIFA Fan Festival in Adelaide (SA) in 2023. With no signs of slowing down, following the release of Under The Light San Cisco will be taking their new album global, kicking off their UK & European headline tour in May of this year.