This Thursday, The City Lines are back with sophomore album Analog Memories, a follow-up to 2021's Waiting on a Win. The power pop band with tasteful tinges of americana has further developed their sound in the past two years, but without any wild changes of direction -- and you can hear the full record streaming here, below, two days early.
Based in southeast Michigan, the Pat Deneau-led project, takes singer-songwriter and folk basic, but builds them up with rock and pop sounds that are equally introspective and heart-on-sleeve, Midwestern blue-collar rock.
The new record pulls from Deneau’s experiences as a father, a husband, a firefighter, and a member of the Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.
Maybe it's typical for a sophomore release, but this album is all about growth. As a songwriter, it means growing beyond familiar autobiographies and learning to do justice to the stories of others as well as my own. It's still about delivering characters and narratives that our supporters can relate to, but this time I'm not the only protagonist. The experiences of our most important connections can shape us in powerful ways, so while Analog Memories absolutely is the nostalgic collection of short stories we set out to tell, the 'memories' that inspired these songs aren't all mine. Their stories are gifts that help me better understand who I am, why I am, and added to my own experiences they weave together a richer fabric than ever could have been created from a single point of view.
Megan Marcoux and Bill Kahler of Twin Deer both appear on "Seasons Won't Stay."
Analog Memories releases on April 27 on digital platforms.
