Things haven't always been sunny for Radiation City. The Portland band may not have been able to illuminate our days with another album had founding couple Cameron Spies and Lizzy Ellison not set aside their differences to reignite their songwriting process. Their third LP, Synesthetica (out this Friday on Polyvinyl Records), is a fresh take on their lush lovestruck (and lovelorn) sound, filtering their signature dreamy 60's tinged lounge pop through more synths than ever before. Ellison's girl group influenced vocals still dazzle and Spies adds even more variegated sonic sheen, all shaped by producer John Vanderslice and shined by producer/mixer Jeremy Sherrer, making Synesthetica a delight for all the senses. Says the band of the new release:
We feel really lucky that we get to do this as a career and explore so many things. We get to make art in multiple disciplines and don’t have to do things in such a regimented way. It’s so easy to compartmentalize things in your daily life and get so focused on the details that you can’t let go and let those things live freely amongst each other. Synesthetica is the template for that: Living your daily life with that idea of blending senses and blending disciplines.
You can purchase Synesthetica in record stores starting Friday, and you can see Radiation City brighten Seattle as they play Neumos on March 16th with Deep Sea Diver. But right now, you can bask in the warm of Synesthetica's glow as we offer the entire album in this exclusive full-album preview:
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