With dark voices, neon beats, and ghostly electronics that evoke the apocalyptic modernism of a 1980s Blade Runner, it may come as a surprise to learn that Black City Lights hail from the quiet bay city of Wellington, New Zealand. With traces of Austra, Zola Jesus, M83, and The XX, their progressive and cinematic sound has already captured international attention in little over a year. Comprised of producer Calum Robb and vocalist Julia Catherine Parr, Black City Lights create soaring and spacious soundtracks to midnight drives, back-alley cigarettes, and regretful yeses. In March of 2012, Black City Lights released their debut EP Parallels via Brooklyn imprint Stars & Letters Records. Local and international accolades quickly followed, including copious blog coverage, high-profile support slots, and two prestigious New Zealand On Air grants to fund their videos. One of these projects, “Parallels,” was produced by the We Are The Masses production team, which also created videos for Passion Pit, Bon Iver, and Beach House. Having polished their live set by supporting the likes of Grimes, Baths, Deadalus, and Van She, Black City Lights headed off to the USA for 3 month tour in support of their 2013 debut album Another Life. Having kicked off 2014 by being part of Red Bull’s Sound Select Series in New Zealand, Black City Lights are headed for a UK tour later in the year, where they will also be showcasing at the Great Escape Festival.
