Album Review: City Riots - Sea Of Bright Lights

If you've been on the hunt for that perfect playlist for your sunny afternoons, look no further, City Riots have you covered. After spending more time on the road than off, the Adelaide indie rockers have really come into their own; they know what their fans want and they're offering it up in spades.

Opener, Turn, kicks things off on a great note, the heavy bass paired with breathy vocals sounds so powerful and carries over nicely into Catch The Sun. As if the song title wasn't enough of a giveaway, this track will be your go-to for summer road trips, the combination of Ricky Kradolfer and Matthew Edge's vocals with the jangly guitar riff is strangely calming and you'll find yourself coasting along with the melody.

Right from the get go the percussion and synth on In This Space make this track a winner, but as soon as that voice starts calling out “Wait for me” it just gets even better. It's one of those tracks where you can already imagine how great it'll be live. Sucker Punch is another standout, even if the lyrics are a little simple; it's inoffensively catchy, and the Beach Boys riff thrown in for effect is a welcome surprise.

Pirates is an apt choice for their penultimate track, as Ricky breathes, “Please let me down, slowly” over jangly guitars; it's a soothing comedown, with rolling synths to break the fall as you near the album's close. Sea Of Bright Lights has really proven what these four Adelaide boys are capable of; they've fine-tuned their sound and the result is a hook-laden, melodious album that's pretty damn impressive.