Old City's Opening Statement

A new musical force is upon us

I had a group of friends coming over Sunday for board gaming. My mother was at church with our friends Courtney and Scott. After tidying up a bit, Spotify notified me that a new album from Old City was out now. An album I have been eagerly awaiting since I first hear “Prey” in July.

I asked if Adrianne would be up for listening to an album. We had a little over an hour before people would start showing up. For a little context, Old City is a hip-hop group that samples punk bands and also features a number of preeminent punk artist. A novelty act on paper. The early singles ranged from the partying rocking “Anthem” to a 8-minute meditation on religion in “Prey.”

Each of the four initial singles (“Prey,” “Anthem,” “Hollaback,” and “Jumper”) hinted at a different side of the final album delivered last Friday. And still, I wasn’t prepared. Old City’s Self Titled opens high energy, channeling 80s hardcore and hip-hop with “Jump Off” and “Anthem,” which could have blended seamlessly in the era of the Black Eyed Peas heyday. I could easily imagine a room full of people shouting “I wanna be cremated” along with the Ramonas, to the tune of Ramones “I Wanna Be Sedated.”

It’s easy to draw comparisons to Beastie Boy’s Paul’s Boutique, in the inventive use of sampling and blending of rock and rap in a way that is not rap-rock. Old City is that and so much more. Producer Justin Mayer and MC Tre38cho have made something transcendent. The contributions of punk luminaries like Milo Aukerman (Descendents), J Robbins (Jawbox) and Gav King (Conflict) reinforce for me what I already know, this is something special.

It’s not just the old guard here though. As previously noted, the Ramonas play a central role in “Anthem,” while “Class Act” highlights Baltimore’s War on Women. In an interview with No Echo, Mayer explained a little of his process:

My one question was always “How?” Luckily, [Mayer] explained, “For Conflict, I asked to use a sample and Gav said yes - then offered to play guitar on it. I told him to write guitar only for 30 seconds at the crescendo of 'Prey' and he sent me over 6 minutes of guitar. I'll put it out as a b-side eventually, but whittled down what he sent to what's on the song to make what I was originally asking for. Gav King is awesome.”

[Mayer] continues, “With other stuff, it's about finding the right person for the right song. I wouldn't want to get Kelly from Defiance to put bass on a song unless it needed his crazy jazz-style basslines, they'd be a waste on a slow song. Chaka's got a great voice and is cool and approachable. Milo took some work, but he yells 'at ALL!' at the end of 'Prey'.

It’s not just punk rock icons that lend their talents, rap star Murs is featured on “Sixers” along with a sample of Black Flag’s “Six Pack.” “My story ain’t like yours” and I’m thankful for that. In a lot of ways, the story is like mine though. Deep seated love for hardcore and hip-hop. A passion for calling the powers that be to justice.

It isn’t just 80s hardcore that gets a platform. Samples from Blink-182 (“Jumper” - not a Third Eye Blind cover) and Green Day (“Get Sued”) show love to the 90s heyday of pop punk. Nods to Good Charlotte and Refused.

The record assaults you at almost breakneck speed until leadoff single “Prey.” The album, insightful and introspective, shifts into a higher gear despite the dynamic shift. “Prey” might be the angriest song here, raging against the oppressive forces of organized religion and how it worms its way into every facet of our culture. In their own words, from that same No Echo interview:

‘Prey’ is our 'Dear God', our 'Shameless Halo' and as all worshippers of the Mighty ALL know, ‘Thou shalt always go for greatness,’ which is basically what our song's about: 'Fuck god, believe in yourself'. I'm very proud to say that in just two words we were able to marry our band with Descendents' religion.”

“Hollaback” features Jovan Landry and rails against casual misogyny. The record scratch and perspective shift brings to light one of my favorite aspects of this album. The ambient story telling. The way samples are weaved together and the journey it takes you on from the jump. This isn’t a collection of songs or even a collection of short stories, this is a novel.

I tend to take a literary approach to music and my favorite artists are storytellers. When the jazz interlude of “Apollo Kids” came on near the end of the album, my mind was flooded with other great albums it recalled. From Sonic Youth’s Daydream Nation to Blowout’s No Beer, No Dad to Outkast’s Aquemini and all the records in between.

One of my favorite things about listening to new music is seeing how people build off the foundations laid before them. When you come across an album that turns out something fresh, it is invigorating. I don’t know if this record will get the attention it deserves, but I suspect it will leave an impact on anyone who takes time to digest it.