Garden City Movement

Israeli trio Garden City Movement craft abstract electronic pop songs with an equal emphasis on complex beat construction as well as longing, R&B-influenced vocals and hook-filled melodies. The group was founded in 2013 by Tel Aviv residents Roi Avital, Joe Saar, and Johnny Sharoni. All three members play guitar and electronic instruments, with Avital and Sharoni handling vocals. Around the time GCM began, Sharoni co-founded BLDG5 Records, giving the Tel Aviv indie music scene a platform while connecting with similar-minded artists and audiences across the world, and releasing music by international acts. GCM’s debut EP, Entertainment, appeared by the end of the year, with Bengali Cinema following soon after. Both were compiled as a full-length, and the group’s songs received attention from the blogosphere as well as satellite and college radio. The Entertainment track “Move On” received a considerable amount of attention; its video won Best Video of the Year at the MTV Israel Music Awards, and was nominated for Best Music Video at the LA Film Festival. The band toured extensively, appearing at festivals like Primavera and Glastonbury and opening for the likes of Alt-J, Cults, and SOHN. The band’s third EP, Modern West, was co-released by The Vinyl Factory in 2015. The funk-influenced 2016 single “She’s So Untouchable” was given dancefloor remakes by producers such as Seven Davis, Jr. and Moscoman. A Japan-only CD compilation titled Move On was issued by Plancha in 2017. Garden City Movement signed to Night Time Stories (the sister label of the Late Night Tales series) that year, and the group’s ambitious debut album, Apollonia, arrived in March of 2018. ~ Paul Simpson