Imaginary Cities Explained

Imaginary Cities
Origin:Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Years Active:2010–2016
Past Members:Rusty Matyas
Marti Sarbit

Imaginary Cities was a Canadian indie pop duo based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The project consisted of multi-instrumentalist Rusty Matyas, formerly of the Waking Eyes and a sometime collaborator of the Weakerthans, and vocalist Marti Sarbit.[1]

History

Matyas and Sarbit began collaborating in 2010. That year, they played a few live shows and began to record tracks for an album. In 2011, they continued performing, at first serving as the opening band for more established groups.[2]

Their debut album, Temporary Resident, was released in 2011 on the Hidden Pony label;[3] [4] it went on to top Canada's campus radio charts. That year, the band won a Western Canada Music Award for Best Pop Album of the Year[5] and was subsequently named as a longlisted nominee for the 2011 Polaris Music Prize.[6] To support the album, they played several dates in Eastern Canada and the US[7] as an opening act for Pixies.

Imaginary Cities performed at a number of pop festivals, including the 2013 NXNE,[8] and gained a following in Germany.[9] The band released their second album, Fall of Romance, in May 2013.[10] [11] Fall of Romance was produced, engineered, and mixed by Howard Redekopp, who has also worked with Tegan and Sara, the New Pornographers, and Mother Mother.[12]

In 2014, they collaborated with Porter Robinson on his song "Hear the Bells". In the same year, Matyas toured with The Sheepdogs as a guitarist following the departure of Leot Hanson from that band.[13]

Imaginary Cities stopped performing and recording in 2016.[14] Sarbit launched the new band Lanikai the following year.[15] Matyas suffered from alcoholism-related liver disease in 2017[16] and spent some time recovering before reemerging in 2021 with the solo project Rusty Robot.[17]

Discography

Notes and References

  1. http://arts.nationalpost.com/2011/02/21/imaginary-cities-are-here-to-stay/ "Imaginary Cities are here to stay"
  2. Alex Hudson, "Indie rock and Motown meet in Imaginary Cities". The Georgia Straight, July 13, 2011.
  3. http://exclaim.ca/music/article/imaginary_cities_perform_hummingbird "Imaginary Cities Perform "Hummingbird""
  4. Alex Hudson, "Waking Eyes Offshoot Imaginary Cities Set Up for NXNE". Exclaim!, June 15, 2010.
  5. Web site: 2011 Western Canadian Music Award Winners. breakoutwest.ca. October 19, 2012. https://archive.today/20130115110553/http://breakoutwest.ca/2012-wcmas/previous-awards/2011-wcma-winners/. January 15, 2013. dead.
  6. http://www.aux.tv/2011/06/2011-polaris-music-prize-long-list-announced/ "2011 Polaris Music Prize Long List announced"
  7. Imaginary Cities Announce North American Tour. Exclaim!. September 7, 2011. October 19, 2012.
  8. https://torontoist.com/2013/06/nxne-2013-in-review-five-days-that-will-live-in-infamy/ "NXNE 2013 in Review: Five Days That Will Live in Infamy"
  9. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-blackmore-Dobbyn/imaginary-cities-is-the-b_b_3384416.html "Imaginary Cities Is the Best Indie Band You Don’t Know Yet"
  10. http://www.cbc.ca/manitoba/scene/music/2013/05/16/imaginary-cities-set-to-release-highly-anticipated-second-album/ "Imaginary Cities set to release highly anticipated second album"
  11. Ryan Reed, "Imaginary Cities: Fall of Romance". Paste, May 28, 2013.
  12. Web site: Fall of Romance - Imaginary Cities | Credits | AllMusic . .
  13. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/the-sheepdogs-parting-ways-with-guitarist-leot-hanson-1.2694276 "The Sheepdogs 'parting ways' with guitarist Leot Hanson"
  14. Sarah Murphy, "Imaginary Cities Serve Up 'Leftovers' EP Before Going on Indefinite Hiatus". Exclaim!, July 27, 2016.
  15. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/marti-sarbit-lanikai-1.4031298 "Marti Sarbit takes a trip from Imaginary Cities to Lanikai"
  16. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/pov-dry-january-1.4973518 "'Dryuary' a lifestyle choice for some, but quitting booze was a question of survival for Winnipeg musician"
  17. Eva Wasney, "Delivering delight: Musician's Rusty Robot project is two scoops of fun with a cherry on top". Winnipeg Free Press, July 8, 2021.

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