Comprised of producer, Abe Seiferth, best known for his work with Yeasayer, RAC, Bear in Heaven and others, as well as his work with former Hercules and Love Affair member Morgan Wiley in Tippy Toes; and clasically-trained cellist and composer, Jeremy Turner, the duo of Low City aim to combine the former’s electronic production background with the latter’s classical and film scoring expertise. And interestingly, their aesthetic is deeply inspired by the retro-futurism of films like Blade Runner, Gattaca and Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, another others. 

While all of the material was written, performed and recored by Seiferth and Turner, the duo enlisted the help of several collaborators to flesh out their sound including members of Dirty Projectors and Bon Iver. 

“Skyline,” the duo’s first single (and video) is comprised of a sinuous bass line, swirling electronics, falsetto vocals and a gorgeous string arrangement that twist and wraps itself around the song’s hook. The song manages to be slickly produced and densely layered while evoking a very moody, eerie feel. The fact that the official video portrays a horrifying near-future in which its citizens are numbed by powerful medications seems extremely fitting for a song that is not just funky but cinematic in a way that bears a resemblance to Bonobo’s work.