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San Francisco’s City Tribe are set to release their debut album Undertow on Tuesday. The album is a perfect Summer soundtrack and should be in heavy rotation on your next road trip. GroundSounds caught up with bassist Eric Wallace to talk about the new album, San Francisco, and more. Check out the interview below and be sure to pick up the album on Tuesday!
Tell us about how you met and formed the band
Duncan and Jake met in Santa Barbara in 2006. They played in a post-hardcore band together. When the band broke up, they went their separate ways for a while, but a few years later they reunited in San Francisco and started writing acoustic songs with these really cool vocal harmonies. There was a bar they used to play called John Colins in San Francisco. They hosted this local-music showcase, which was great for meeting people in the scene, plus since they were sort of the house band, they were able to really test out their songs live. Back when Duncan and Jake had the hardcore band, I filled in on bass a couple times, and as luck would have it, I moved to San Francisco a few months after they started playing together again. The current City Tribe lineup was in place when Cody joined on drums in 2012.
Undertow comes out soon and we’re quickly becoming big fans of the album. How long have you been working on it and what was your goal for the sound/direction of the album?
Half of the songs on Undertow are some of the earliest material we wrote. So it’s been in the works for a couple years. This record is a step toward a fuller, more distorted sound. We wanted to keep the focus on melody, harmony and creating complex arrangements, but we also wanted to let loose more than we did on the EP. There are a lot of moments on the album where we evoke this kind of dreamscape or sense of floating.
“Heart N Soul” is a perfect way to start the album. What was the inspiration for this song?
“Heart N Soul” is a West Coast anthem. It’s a tribute to our home city and all the inspiration we draw from it. Jacob wrote the lyrics, and he grew up in Phoenix. In a lot of ways, it’s about him coming to San Francisco, being overwhelmed at first by the scale and beauty of everything, and then finally embracing the city as his home. I love Cody’s driving, tribal, drum beat on this song. It really sets the energy and spirit of the album.
Tell us about the track “Gloomaloo.” What is the story behind that song and how did it come together?
“Gloomaloo” is a response to “Indian Summer,” a track from our last EP. So many people wait until the warm fall months to enjoy the city, and this song is about embracing the unique, foggy San Francisco summer—going out in that swirling, misty weather and enjoying yourself.
So much of the album seems to evoke a sense of the “open road” or “open sea” (at least to me). If given the choice to take either a long road trip or a long boat trip, which would you choose and where would you go?
Definitely a boat trip, sailing down the West Coast to Baja—fishing, surfing, and living off Tecate, the drink of the natives.
When I listen to the album, I get a sense of several bands/artists I like, including Fleet Foxes, Paul Simon, and Good Old War. Are these bands that you guys listen to or does your sound/style simply happen to match up with music of that nature?
We are big fans of all those artists. We have a pretty wide array of influences. That said, we don’t really sit down to write with the goal of making a song sound like any particular artist. Our melodies and our harmonies are heavily influenced by classic pop music, and our focus on harmony and arrangement is probably what reminds listeners of great artists like these.
What’s next for you after the album release? Any touring plans coming up?
We’re on the road right now through early August—we’ll be at Room 5 in L.A. on Saturday July 26. We’ll be back on tour again this fall.
San Francisco is known for many famous, iconic spots/attractions. What is one under-the-radar spot that someone traveling to SF must see or visit?
We have played a couple shows at a great spot called Viracocha. It’s an antique shop in the Mission district with a saloon/speakeasy style venue in the basement. The vibe and decor are very cool.
Where is the best place to stay updated with you online?
You can keep up with us on Facebook. http://facebook.com/citytribe
City Tribe – “Gloomaloo”
