Started by MJ Parker and Charlie Gokey at the tender age of 15, Secret Cities grew out of a shared love of psychedelic pop and a pen-pal arrangement that saw the pair trading 4-track tapes through the mail. The band eventually expanded to a trio with the addition of fellow Midwesterner and kindred spirit Alex Abnos on drums. After a few small releases on Baltimore’s Fall Records, the band released its proper full length debut (the well-received Pink Graffiti) in 2010 on Western Vinyl. Following a nationwide tour in support of that release, the band spent several intense months writing and recording new material, re-imagining their sound as a fractured take on classic AM radio pop. Strange Hearts, the resulting album, was released in March of 2011 on Western Vinyl.
“Magnificent…I’ve rarely heard an album that wields so many weapons — not effortlessly, but with such painstaking mastery that it’s almost arduous not to be won over… 4/5” — Tiny Mix Tapes
“Secret Cities manage to make chipper co-ed harmonies, acoustic jangle, and toy-like instrumental accents sound damn near subversive in their innocence. On swinging opener “Pink City”, Charlie Gokey sings, “we had a lot to say, but it would take all day,” a pretty accurate mission statement for an album that’s got all manner of instrumental bric-a-brac but never really makes a point of stressing its bustle.” — Pitchfork
