If the name Oliver Ignatius rings a bell, that’s because you probably know him from Damfino, an East Coast-based band lauded for their cool and quirky breed of pop rock formed in the vein of groups like the dBs and the Go Betweens.
When Oliver is not busy making music with damfino, he moonlights; his most recent outing is a self-released single called “Citys a Hell.” Aside from writing, producing and singing the song, Oliver plays bass, guitar, organ, piano and drums on the track. Saxophonist Henry Kandel, trumpeter Jon Good, lead guitarist Jacob Sunshine, and vocalists Paige Johnson-Brown, Mary Knapp, Lilah Larson and Maria Lina further lend their credentials to the recording.
Assembled of pelvic-grinding rhythms slinking across a funky psychedelic hip-hop foundation, Oliver Ignatius’ “Citys a Hell” ably captures the listener’s imagination, yielding impressions of being caught in the midst of traffic jams and crowds of hurried people pounding the pavement.
The mixing and mingling of instruments is highly appealing, with the heavy bass boding well against the freewheeling brass arrangements. As the cherry on top of the pie, the vocals wobble and bobble to a seductive melody, rendering “Citys a Hell” a bona-fide hit.
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