CITY SILOS Release High-Energy 'Happy Thoughts' Album
—NASHVILLE’S ALTERNATIVE ROCK DUO—
RELEASE DEBUT FULL-LENGTH ALBUM
‘HAPPY THOUGHTS’
TODAY, AUGUST 30
MUSIC VIDEO FOR “LET YOU GO” OUT NOW
Above: album cover art for Happy Thoughts
LOS ANGELES (August 30, 2019) – Nashville-based husband-wife alternative rock duo CITY SILOS have released their debut full-length album, Happy Thoughts, today along with the official music video for the album’s third single, “Let You Go.”Click here to watch the video for the song which had Greg Jones of Ear To The Ground raving, “this up-tempo track has a ton of energy to it. The dynamic songwriting feels like it was meant for a big-time arena. The vocal is somewhere between Reba McEntire and Grace Potter. The powerful sound feels like a rock pop track that could race up the charts.” (August 26, 2019)
“Give It To Me Straight”—the lead single from Happy Thoughts—possesses a ceiling-climbing swing with gritty instruments and a crushing vocal performance. Glide Magazine raved, “CITY SILOS rock out with arena-ready synth pop on ‘Give It To Me Straight.’” (July 1, 2019). Elsewhere, Jason Scott of B-Sides & Badlands noted, “‘Give It to Me Straight…’ sees singer Kristen Butler wield her vocal cords as a set of steel carving knives. Her tone melts the creamy butter that is guitar wailing against the drums’ own howls and lashes.” (July 12, 2019)
Musicians make unimaginable sacrifices for their art, and Nashville’s alternative rock duo, CITY SILOS, is no stranger to it. Chris and Kristen Butler worked tirelessly for the last four years, wandering through day jobs and late-night songwriting sessions, sleeping in a van and living on the road, to emerge with a statement-making debut record. Happy Thoughts—recorded at Nashville’s The Hilson Studio and produced by Sean Power (Michelle Wright, and Josh Hampson)—is a mighty demonstration of pain and resilience. Their words are laced with vulnerable, yet dangerously evocative, confessions about many of life’s darkest and most brutal cycles.
Throughout the new album’s 10 songs, firework moments like the venom-spitting “Just Like Her,” “Let You Go,” and title track “Happy Thoughts,” combine melodic rock guitars and synth bass, with a dance groove akin to 80’s pop. They wind their way savagely through blues pop-inflected guitar riffs that stick on the brain and jolt the system alive, guitars crashing into one another and the drum kit setting the whole show on fire.
Track listing for Happy Thoughts:
“Explode”
“Give It To Me Straight”
“Don't Belong”
“Let You Go”
“Seven Years Old”
“Just Like Her”
“Happy Thoughts”
“Too Bad”
“One More Song”
“Path”
More early praise for Happy Thoughts:
“Also known as Chris and Kristen Butler, they work together as husband and wife to create a track that is as catchy as it is full of vulnerability and angst.”
--Karina Marquez, Imperfect Fifth, July 10, 2019
“The alt-rock duo consists of Kristen and Chris Butler and this husband/wife combo is certainly not messing around with their catchy, pop-infused sound…CITY SILOS’ captivating debut…is its own beautiful concoction that is instantly familiar but also the band’s own. We think you’re going to dig the tunes…”
--Christopher Gonda, Pure Grain Audio, July 24, 2019
“I love songs that sound like they could be on movie soundtracks…City Silos…isn’t a band where you can accuse them of phoning it in, or selling out for placement. Because this isn’t one of those tracks [‘Just Like Her’]. It feels accessible, genuine, and fun. An anthem with attitude.”
--Ryan Getz, Tuned Up, August 7, 2019
“The Husband and Wife duo that make up the Nashville-based band City Silos, has a new album…don’t let the album’s title fool you. Happy Thoughts has an edge and almost lyrical darkness to it. That is if you can pull yourself away from Kristen’s intoxicating vocals long enough to focus on the words she is laying down. Once you get past those, you encounter some serious fuzz. The guitars drive these songs with almost a glossy metallic sound that is one part raw and another part polished.”
--Tommy Marz, Sound Vapors, August 13, 2019
Above: (L-R) Kristen and Chris Butler of CITY SILOS. Credit: Jon Karr