About Me
Mexico City formed in Brisbane, Australia, early this century, lifting their moniker from the name of the rundown dockside bar featured in Albert Camus' classic novel, The Fall.
The four-piece soon set about exploring that great tradition of songwriting, where rock n roll lays down besides country, blues and soul, and figures like Dylan, Neil Young, the Stones, Creedence and The Band reign supreme.
In 2006, Mexico City released their debut album Black Comedy through Reverberation, the indie label and distribution company run by Rusty Hopkinson (You Am I, Radio Birdman) and Ian Underwood (Kryptonics, Challenger 7).
The album, produced by Michael Carpenter (Youth Group, 78 Saab, The City Lights), swiftly earned the praise of music critics across the country:
- "This is the first great Australian debut this year." The Age
- "Magnificent. Four stars." The Courier-Mail
- "The most exciting thing to come out of Brisbane since XXXX beer." Drum Media
- "A fully-realised and excellent album that turns potential into reality.†Timeoff
- "Classic, baby, and for all the right reasons." dB Magazine
But it was a chance meeting with Hopkinson back in 2002 that first set the wheels in motion.
After an exchange of tapes and emails, Mexico City were given the opportunity to release a record on Hopkinson’s boutique indie label, Illustrious Artists, which had previously released records by The Vines and The Pictures.
The first fruits of this new union was 2003's Big Black Car EP, which Drum Media described as "The Eagles waking up after a three-day amphetamine and tequila bender. Beautifully bleak."
In 2004, the band released their sophomore EP, Lost Gospel, this time through the ever-expanding Reverberation empire. The EP moved Timeoff to declare, "Mexico City are the reason the phrase 'A little bit country, a little bit rock n roll' was invented. Mexico City mop the floor with Kings of Leon, stupid beards/haircuts and all."
Hopkinson said it was at this point that Reverberation put the band in touch with Michael Carpenter, whose melodic nous and love of guitar based pop would prove to be a complimentary counterpoint to the heavy manners of Mexico City's country noir.
"The result is Black Comedy, a rich and textured album that takes in everything from '66 Dylan through their beloved Crazy Horse and even occasionally landing back in the garage where it all started," Hopkinson said.
"At times mournful, the album's dark mood is offset by the rich melodic texture these songs are imbued with, every once in a while catching flecks of joy lurking in the shadow.
"The result is an expansive and impressive debut album that lives up to the promise shown over the space of two well received and critically acclaimed EPs."
All Mexico City releases are available through Reverberation.
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