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Introducing The City Harmonic releases today from Kingsway amidst a growing crowd of newly inspired music critics who have widely-praised this new band heralding from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Named “One not to miss” by CCM Magazine in its upcoming year-end issue, and with an interview completed for RELEVANT Magazine, The City Harmonic is about “getting people in on the act—hearts pounding and feet moving.” Garnering comparisons to Coldplay, Aqualung, Arcade Fire, the band’s self-produced, six-song EP, Introducing The City Harmonic, is a nostalgic Brit-pop meets campfire sing-along mix that features raucous, gang vocals along with agile, soaring anthems crafted to include the listener.
The band, consisting of front man Elias Dummer, bassist Eric Fusilier, guitarist Aaron Powell and drummer Josh Vanderlaan, isn’t as interested in finding fans as they are looking for participants in the journey. “Both art and worship are participatory acts—not consumptive acts,” says Elias. “What is meaningful for people is the experience, that creative moment when art is shared. To us, it’s almost as though these songs just don’t sound right without everybody involved.”
And if the critics are right, participation in these songs is guaranteed:
“I have seen the future of worship music and its name is The City Harmonic. Now don’t let the words ‘worship music’ scare you away because this is nothing like the worship your mother grew up with… heck it’s nothing like the worship you probably grew up on…This debut CD had the same effect on me that the debut from Delirious? had on me back in the mid nineties… it immediately struck me as something unique and also as something that was going to transpire into something huge! … Introducing The City Harmonic is one of those CDs that you hope never ends and when it does it leaves you wanting more.” – Colossal Pop
“Introducing The City Harmonic will hit the stores soon and your hearts just as quickly.” – Examiner.com.
“There aren’t many CDs or bands that I like on the first hearing, but these guys, yes!… this EP is a great piece. It has all the elements of good music, features singers whose hearts and vocals follow the conviction of the lyrics, and gives God the recognition He deserves…This is a versatile collection of high quality songs, enjoyable in most any location or circumstance…Good stuff.” – Hollywood Jesus
“The City Harmonic is an artist that shouldn’t be underestimated…Their raw hearted worship is something that is needed in this generation.” – IndieVisionMusic.com (9 out of 10 Skulls)
“When their CD releases in late November, the praise and worship genre is going to have another group that has every right to join the ranks of Hillsong and Chris Tomlin, and listeners will have one more excellent way to express their devotion to the Lord.” – North Bay Christian News
“The Passion movement is firmly entrenched. Hillsong UNITED created the next uber-popular refrain, and Gungor is certainly a band to watch. But there’s apparently more room at the table than I expected because The City Harmonic is as good as anything you’ve heard in the worship genre.” – Soul-Audio
Soul-Audio also says the band’s piano hook-laden first radio single, “Manifesto,” “instantly becomes a creedal statement for a new generation sure to latch onto this anthem,” as Hollywood Jesus confirms, “‘Manifesto’ is a modern-style Doxology/Lord’s Prayer mix.” Mainstream outlet Music Remedy labels the song a pop hit, giving it a 4-star ranking and foreshadowing the airplay the song began gathering across North America this month. Coinciding with the Introducing The City Harmonic EP release, “Manifesto” is also released today as the band’s first music video. Filmed in their hometown and featuring a combination of animation and live action footage, this compelling video can be seen at: www.youtube.com/thecityharmonic.
With the band’s name partly derived from the sense that in communal worship we catch a fleeting glimpse of the world that we pine for, Elias explains: “C.S. Lewis said this thing that’s always stuck with us: ‘If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.’ It’s like there’s this hopeful nostalgia within us all for the way things ought to be. It’s great when coming together feels like that – like it’s the unveiling of something bigger and better than ourselves. If we can somehow spark in people a dream, something they just can’t shake, then that will inspire them to sing like every word matters, to live like every day matters, and having tasted heaven, they’ll get on with helping this world feel more like home.”
For much of the past decade the band members have worked with TrueCity, a movement of local churches in their hometown striving for the good of the city. “Jesus said, ‘Love the Lord Your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbour as yourself.’ Sure, we hear this all the time – but there are six important words that are often overlooked: and the second is like it,” says Elias. “God doesn’t separate our ability to love our neighbour from our capacity for loving Him. It doesn’t matter how much so-called religious fervour we muster up if we’re living selfishly. It’s no wonder, then, that we should care about social justice if the thing most like loving God is to love my neighbor. It’s a no-brainer. It just makes sense.”
Introducing The City Harmonic is just a taste of what’s to come from this creative Canadian foursome. The release of the band’s full-length album will be announced next year, and it will continue the journey—songs and stories that tell of hope, unity and seeking a greater kingdom. More information on The City Harmonic can be found at www.thecityharmonic.com.
About Kingsway:
Tracing its music heritage to 1969, Kingsway today is known as a leader in Worship Music. As the creator of Thank You Music, and later in partnership with EMI, its catalogue includes songs such as “Here I Am to Worship,” “In Christ Alone,” “Everlasting God” and “Blessed Be Your Name” to name a few.
Kingsway’s songs are sung in more than 300,000 churches worldwide accounting for over 30% of CCLI’s (Church Copyright Licensing International) bestseller list. With writers and artists like Tim Hughes, Matt Redman, Delirious?, Graham Kendrick and Stuart Townend, Kingsway is dedicated to feeding the Church with songs that will change the world. As the music arm of David C Cook, a non-profit organization located in Colorado Springs, CO, a significant portion of the profits that Kingsway and David C Cook generate are used to provide discipleship and music materials free of charge to church leaders in developing parts of the world who wouldn’t be able to get them any other way.
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