The last year or two have been busy for determined Kelowna trio We Are The City, yet somehow in between touring (sharing the stage with bands like Bend Sinister and Said the Whale) and attending boot camps, they have managed to record a creatively funded full-length album. In A Quiet World is a well- produced first offering from the Peak Performance finalists; it showcases 11 tracks of ambitious, piano-laden indie rock written by three men who are surprisingly competent despite their youth.

Cayne Mckenzie’s boyish voice and fluid piano serve as the centrepiece, while David Menzel’s jangling guitar and Andy Huculiak’s gentle, dynamic beats fill out the songs and push them forward. However, nothing is as it seems here, the songs rise and fall and deviate from conventional formula. They are filled with surprising, disjointed breakdowns that are at times awkward, but at least display the musicians’ creativity and openness towards experimentation. Similarly, the innocently whimsical, minimalist lyrics often date the band, but come from an imaginative place. Quiet World proves to be the creative work of an inspired and determined band that possesses defiance, drive and conviction. The album will surely have young indie rock girls swooning and weeping, while us crotchety, old hack music critics watch the band’s progress with a curious eye and an open ear.