The best songwriting is the kind that stings in the shadows but shines bright in public. It’s grandiose and dancy, shimmery bits of pristine pop music working in tandem with lyrics that are sharp enough to break the skin. The kind folks in City Mouth are no strangers to this concept. Last year, the Evergreen Park powerhouses of thought-pop teamed up with Take This To Heart Records to release a stunning seven-song EP called Hollows that showcased the prowess and potential of a band meant for something bigger than the scene they call home. Earlier this year, the band delivered on that promise with the larger than life single, “Sanity For Summer.” Bombastic synth lines and references to the music of Julien Baker, mental health, and a past relationship worked together to create a song that got you moving before it moved you.
And, they’ve done it again. I couldn’t be happier to be sharing the music video for City Mouth’s insanely catchy new song, “For a Second.” This song follows suit with “Sanity For Summer” in that it focuses on the fallout of relationships and the toll that can take on your mental health. There’s a little more bite to the lyrics this go-round, with Matt sneaking in small jabs like “just tell me all about myself til I start to believe it” and “I honestly wish you luck, but I wish you’d grow up too.” With this added bite comes a little bit more…flavor, if you will. The halfway point of the track sees vocalist Matt Pow breaking into new territory with a rap verse, and it pays off. The playfulness of it adds a sense of levity to the track that makes it the perfect end of the summer jam.
This playfulness is echoed in the music video, which was directed by Matt Pow. It’s a back and forth between performance shots loosely tied together story. From the outside, it seems like lighthearted commentary that may reference people telling Matt he treats others as disposable before ultimately being disposed of. In the end, he’s wrapped in duct tape in the colors that were at the forefront of the Hollows era of City Mouth…and maybe that means we’re onto something new?
“For a Second” hits streaming services Friday, September 13th. You can pre-save the single here.
