City & i.o

City & i.o are immensely proud to present Chaos is God Neighbour, the full-length follow-up to their 2019 record Spirit Volume. This new release finds the musicians digging into murkier depths than Spirit Volume, and features extensive contributions from collaborators Dis Fig, aka Felicia Chen, x/o, aka Veron Xio, and vvilms, aka Aaron Wharton.

Composed at a frenetic pace over several weeks in mid-2020, the claustrophobia is palpable. As the album progresses the tracks get both shorter and progressively more brutal, interrupted by brief moments of respite. Throat-shredding harsh vocals provide a high watermark in intensity, while the expansive performances of Dis Fig and x/o serve as vantage points over the morass, giving the listener something both beautiful and human to grasp. Careening from rich synth work, to distorted guitars in alternate tunings; from i.o’s virtuosic and unhinged drumming to slabs of harsh ambient noise, this is a genuinely ambitious and rewarding album.

The front and back cover artwork is courtesy of legendary Games Workshop illustrator John Blanche.