Radiation City (USA)

Enamored by modern electronic sounds but influenced by the chill tones of classic bossa records and the urgency and harmony of northern soul, Radiation City has codified seemingly disparate ideas into something equally space-aged and retro. Founded in 2009 amid the glow of one budding love affair, Radiation City quickly added a second couple to its ranks and blossomed into a full family. Debut LP The Hands That Take You quickly earned the band a reputation as one of Portland, Oregon’s most promising young acts, and the subsequent national tours—along with 2011’s Cool Nightmare EP—made good on that promise. But it was the quintet’s majestic, fully realized sophomore full-length, Animals in the Median, that secured Radiation City an audience far outside its native Portland, Oregon and inspired a full album of remixes from hip-hop producer G_Force, A Different Animal. The group is currently wrapping up work on a third full-length, recorded by underground indie rock icon and Tiny Telephone studio founder John Vanderslice.