SPILL ALBUM PREMIERE: JOE GENI – CITIES BUILT UPON CITIES

JOE GENI – CITIES BUILT UPON CITIES

A SPILL EXCLUSIVE ALBUM PREMIERE

Today we present the album Cities Built Upon Cities from New York-based indie-pop artist Joe Geni presents, a fantastic release that, over the course of eight tracks, explores themes of change, impermanence and loss amidst the city’s constant evolution. Here, Geni traces the transformation of Long Island City, the part of Queens where he lives, right across the East River from Manhattan. Its stunning skyline views now booming with skyscrapers, this place is haunted by its industrial past and friends who have moved on.

With plenty of passion, excellent songmanship and fantastic elements here of Talk Talk, Gotye, When In Rome, boygenius and even Luc Plamondon’s Notre-Dame de Paris, what’s not to like? A cinematic tapestry of sound and song, the music weaves a story of life’s journey, mirroring the city’s evolution and societal shifts. The soaring vocals, set against a backdrop of grand orchestral arrangements, capture the spirit of our times, providing a poignant reflection of the complex interplay between life, urban growth, and social change.

This album was produced, mixed and mastered by Charlie Nieland, a well-respected Brooklyn-based sound engineer and producer, known for his work with Debbie Harry, Rufus Wainwright, Blondie, Dead Leaf Echo, Oh Halo and Scissors Sisters, in addition to scores, including the feature film ‘The Safety of Objects’ starring Glenn Close. Awarded a Gold record (UK) for his production of Blondie’s Greatest Hits Sight & Sound, Nieland also achieved a Top-10 Billboard Dance Chart Position with Debbie Harry’s “Two Times Blue”, a single that he co-wrote and produced.

“I live in Long Island City, where the land is in transformation. They’re throwing up high rises as fast as building permits can be distributed from City Hall. From a city of industry and warehouses and taxi depots, to a city of luxury towers and scaffolding, the infrastructure and facilities groaning under the weight of ten thousand new arrivals and then ten thousand more, and all this flat up against the undulating greenery of Gantry State Park weaving along the banks of the East River under the famous Pepsi Cola sign,” says Joe Geni.

“I lived here in 2011, when it was a totally different city, flat and industrial and grey. One time I was walking along and I heard the rhythmic thump of a distant dance party, and then the sound was gone, and then it was back again. I couldn’t tell where it was coming from, and so I hunted all over the neighborhood trying to find it. Finally I realized it was on the roof of practically the only tall building for half a mile in any direction, and the reason it kept drifting in and out of earshot depended on where I was standing and whether or not I could hear it echoing off the brick walls and corrugated siding of the smaller buildings all around it. Nearly all of those buildings are gone now. So are most of my friends from that time. I’m back now. The city is changing. The people in it are changing. The environment around it is changing. The architecture is changing. Yesterday’s city has been buried under today’s which will soon be lost to tomorrow’s… cities built upon cities.”

In the lead-up to this album, Geni released the singles “City of Energy”, “City Where The Sky Subsides” and the latest “City of Light”, reflecting on the power of human connection and resilience, the solace found in friendship and community, and the renewed hope that emerged as the world began to heal following Covid-related lockdowns.

Originally hailing from Evanston, Illinois, Geni has lived in NYC for most of his adult life (mostly in Long Island City), working various jobs around the United Nations. Making music that soundtracks the Anthropocene, Geni tries to capture what it’s like to search for home in a world that is constantly changing. Exploring the complex relationship between humanity and our environment, he channels these ideas and emotions into sound.

Since emerging on the music scene with his 2019 debut album After Wandering Empire, Geni released his Doggerland album in 2021, both of which were also produced by Charlie Nieland. With a distinct, instantly recognizable voice (a blisteringly high tenor with a 3.5 octave range), he has a knack for communicating complex ideas through his lyrics, ruminating on themes related to international affairs, climate change, demography, transportation and urban infrastructure, but also the grand sweep of the human experience, including love, regret, modern art and even dinosaurs.

Come Friday, we’ll all be able to enjoy the fully-released Cities Built Upon Cities album on your favourite online platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp.

Album Credits

Music written by Joe Geni
Lyrics and vocals by Joe Geni
All instruments by Joe Geni, except drums by Mikhail Sapozhnikov
Produced, mixed and mastered by Charlie Nieland
Cover artwork by Joe Geni
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR

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Joe Geni
Cities Built Upon Cities
(Independent)
Release Date: October 4, 2024

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Artist Links

Photo Credits: Alice Teeple