When they burst onto the Christian music scene in 2011, The City Harmonic were quickly put in a box. Their piano-driven rock sound almost instantly had them branded as the Christian Coldplay. Even today, you can only read an article about them for a few seconds before stumbling across references to the million selling British soft-rockers. While this isn't meant as an insult, it is pretty reductive. Because while there is certainly a similarity between the band's big, anthemic sound and mid-period Coldplay, there's more to the Canadians than that.
Previous albums have seen them reinterpret the Creed and The Lord's Prayer and use a stunning sample from Martin Luther King's prophetic and spinetingling final speech, 'I've Been to the Mountaintop.'
Their third album, 'We Are,' therefore, arrives with big expectations. Those who've been waiting for it - their old fans - won't be disappointed. There are plenty of those skyscraping choruses, backed by strings, gospel choirs and that expansive sound we've got used to.
But there are enough interesting twists to make this new record more than just a rehash of 2011's 'I Have a Dream (It Feels Like Home)' and 2013's 'Heart.' For example, the track Confession (Agnus Dei) takes the ancient prayer "Lamb of God you take away the sin of the world... Grant us peace" and turns it into a contemporary and beautiful hymn. 'Solid Rock', meanwhile, is a reinterpretation of the classic hymn, 'My Hope is Built on Nothing Less.'
'Let There Be Light,' is probably the best evocation of the moment of creation since Gungor's 'Let There Be' – a huge chorus is interspersed with delicate melodies throughout the verses. This is them at their most accessible and pop-oriented – an obvious candidate for worship bands around the world to try to replicate during a Sunday service.
The liner notes reflect the band's heart for church unity and it's always refreshing to read of Christian musicians who are putting their lyrics into action. The band has been at the centre of efforts to get churches in their area to work together – as well as promoting church unity wherever their listeners and fans live.
With this, there third album, the City Harmonic continue their habit of writing and recording tracks that could be used in congregational worship. They have cemented their reputation as writers of big, powerful choruses and memorable melodies. Maybe by the time of their next album there will be space to experiment more and to use their gift for reinterpreting old hymns and parts of the ancient liturgy. But for the time being 'We Are' is a very good addition to any contemporary worship collection.
