City Rain EP Release Party featuring Secret Music

City Rain is Ben Runyan and Jarrett Zerrer. After releasing their debut LP Running Man in September 2010, they were voted Philadelphia's band of the month by Deli Magazine and have been aired on local radio 88.5 WXPN. They have fine tuned their sound and style by playing lots of shows (World Cafe Live, Johnny Brendas, North Star Bar, Kung Fu Necktie.....) in their city of Philadelphia and have made numerous trips to New York City and Washington D.C.

A textural capsule that is at once thematically poignant and undeniably catchy, the I'm Gone EP combines the emotional yet danceable impact of The Postal Service, New Order, Cults, and a less hormonal Kids of 88 with a surprising surf guitar twist that adds a fascinatingly fresh dimension. As a testament to this, the title track "I'm Gone" is an immediately catchy pop song, coasting on a hazy synthpop beat with dreamy surf guitar resonating throughout. "It's about a woman who was the love of my life to that point, and at that time, maybe the only person that loved me more than me," explains Ben. "Jarrett had undergone a similar story, so this song was particularly universal to both of us... and we got a great song out of it!" The result is a grand Western-tinged pop single that has already gotten early spins on WXPN. The propulsive "How Do You Like Me Now?" (featuring the ethereal vocals of acclaimed fiddler/singer Maggie Lander) is, as Ben describes, "a track written out of spite. Since everyone has a part in a break up, I wanted to give two sides to the story and that's where Maggie came in. We never actually met her (she's a friend of a friend of a friend), and we did this through Facebook." The intoxicatingly warpy "Digeridoo" is "a pretty desperate track," Jarrett confides. "We wrote this as Ben was coming off of antidepressants and felt totally fried cognitively." Explains Ben, "I was at my wit's end, and I had met this new girl. She was really into me, and I just couldn't reciprocate any emotion. I am not sure how I even felt enough to write the song, but it turned out great. It's my favorite live track to sing." The closer, "Real Good," appropriately ends on a positive note. "I get to be Del Shannon here," Ben laughs. "Big throwback to the 60s with this one, and a very Joy Division-inspired bassline. This was our first happy track, and it makes us happy."

Named after the "cleansing and cathartic electric smell after it rains in the city," City Rain is ready to undergo a similar rebirth - from one of Philadelphia's best kept secrets to a formidable national electronic band. Having supported such buzz-heavy bands as The Dears, School Of Seven Bells, Telefon Tel Aviv, East Hundred and fellow Reybee roster mates Hank & Cupcakes, their buzz is beginning to resonate quite loudly outside of their hometown. With this EP and a mesmerizing video (filmed on a flatbed truck driving on the outskirts of Philadelphia) ready to make an powerful impact, Ben and Jarrett are prepared to take on the fight and triumph. "David Lynch and Edgar Allen Poe often spoke of the dark nature of this city and its power to keep you down, but then there are your 'Rocky's' of the world," he concludes, referencing the iconic fictional boxer. "It's the triumph over adversity. All cheese aside, I couldn't run away from the similarities of our music and Rocky's message."

CITY RAIN is Ben Runyan (vocals, keys, production) and Jarrett Zerrer (vocals, guitar). Their new EP I'm Gone was produced by Ben in Stompf Tavern Studios in Stockton, NJ.