NEON GOLD PRESENTS: NEW SHAPES // CMJ 2012

Another year, another CMJ, and that means another star-studded double-decker New Shapes blowout at Santos Party House. If you were on the front lines with us last year, you experienced the US live debut of Gotye and oh so much more. And this year - as always - we're looking to go even bigger, as we team up with our UK brothers-in-arms, National Anthem and Chess Club, to bring you the show to end all shows Thursday night at Santos.

Upstairs, we have Brooklyn heartthrobs Lovelife, synth-noirists Citizens!, electro-superstars Strange Talk, UK stadium-indie rockers Morning Parade, and west coast supergroup extraordinaire JJAMZ. This all before headlining beauties Icona Pop shut it down in the coveted headline slot, an honor claimed by Gotye, Grouplove and Theophilus London in years past. Downstairs, we've got newborn ruffians Busy Living, Brit-crooner Gabriel Bruce, jungle-pop Aussies Jinja Safari, and west coast sunkids Pacific Air and Blondfire, before Sky Ferreira and Capital Cities closing the night out in style.

All this for the impossibly low price of $5 advance, $10 day of show, plus free entry for a limited number of CMJ badges (so arrive early!). Mark your calendars for 6pm sharp on October 18th and get your advance tickets HERE, this is one for the history books.

UPSTAIRS
07:30pm: Lovelife // DOWNLOAD: "Me After You"

08:30pm: Citizens! // DOWNLOAD: "True Romance"

09:30pm: Strange Talk // STREAM: "Cast Away"

10:30pm: Morning Parade // STREAM: "Headlights"

11:30pm: JJAMZ // STREAM: "Heartbeat"

12:30am: Icona Pop // STREAM: "I Love It"

DOWNSTAIRS

07:00pm: Busy Living // STREAM: "It's A War Out There"

08:00pm: Gabriel Bruce // STREAM: "Perfect Weather"

09:00pm: Jinja Safari // STREAM: "Peter Pan"

10:00pm: Pacific Air // STREAM: "Float"

11:00pm: Blondfire // STREAM: "Where the Kids Are"

12:00am: Sky Ferreira // STREAM: "Everything Is Embarrassing"

01:00am: Capital Cities // STREAM: "Safe and Sound"

WILL WE EVER KNOW OURSELVES.

Citizens are a fresh new four-piece hailing from stormy London who seem to have it all figured out already. Let's just say their masterful debut single, "True Romance", is a breath of sunshine-spiked air in an otherwise overcrowded pop landscape. With a simple backbone of a drum beat and peppy piano chords, the instrumental bounces along with a childlike naivete that sounds like All Time Quarterback growing up before your very eyes. It all seems innocent enough until frontman, Matt West's Hot Chip-y vocals sweep you off your feet and steal you away from the droll life you once had, in the best runaway imaginable. Things get real at the chorus, as that persistent "true romance" refrain serves to underscore the tragic darkness that lies beneath the whimsical xylophones, refocusing everything on the ambivalent ultimatum of West's dissonant singing. Citizens then manage to harness the raw, unbridled energy of other young prodigies like Reptar and Is Tropical, to magically conjure up a happy ending when it seems like all hope is lost. This is one incredibly infectious tune, full stop.

MP3: "True Romance" - CITIZENS!