Signals Midwest release new track “Sanctuary City”
Posted: by The Editor
Split between Ohio and Pennsylvania, Signals Midwest have done everything for their fifth studio album, Pin, with extreme purpose and meticulous planning. While doing so may seem like a hindrance, it has only made the release more meaningful for everyone involved. After sharing their first single, “Your New Old Apartment” featuring Deanna Belos, from Sincere Engineer, fans have expressed their excitement for the group’s future.
Their newest single, “Sanctuary City” explores the nature of ever-changing landscapes, whether that be socially, politically, or otherwise. They express the importance of empathy and not taking simple aspects of life for granted, especially when the world at large can be an objectively negative place. Vocalist, and guitarist, Max Stern sings in the second verse, “I try to be tender, try to be kind and remind myself that there is such quiet grace in private moments in public spaces, we sing on stolen ground and borrowed time”. Following a common theme of the album, “Sanctuary City” is retrospective and appreciative of everyday routines that may seem monotonous and meaningless. However, sometimes those routines are all we have to keep us grounded.
While the group may have a rough sound and exterior, “Sanctuary City” reflects softness that appears at the very core of our existence. While at its surface, the current social and political climate of the world is burning at both ends, we have a basic duty to share compassion and strength with our peers to ease the inevitable hardships we are faced with.
Stern expressed the following about the track, “‘Sanctuary City’ is a song about practicing empathy. If you’re a person who comes from any sort of privilege and you’re not exploring other viewpoints and constantly practicing empathy, you’re doing yourself and the world a great disservice. So I wrote it as sort of an exercise in that: Attempting to put myself in the position of someone who definitely does not have all of the advantages that I have, and then starting to ask some questions. What would it be like if some of these pressures I have were taken away? What if I could move through the world in exactly the way I want to, without fear of persecution? I got wrapped up in the possibilities of it all, which is where the chorus came from. ‘There are so many other things to be.’”
Pin will be released on August 2nd and is now available for pre-order through Lauren Records and Lost Boy Records (AU).
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Emily Kitchin //@deathnap4cutie
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