BUY ‘THIS CITY’ COLOURING BOOK HERE
SAMEER CASH’S THIS CITY LP OUT NOW VIA POSTWAR RECORDS
BUY / STREAM THIS CITY LP HERE
"Set to a slow-burning backdrop of symphonic rock, Cash sings about gentrification and isolation with pained subtlety, as if Toronto were slowly squeezing the life out of him during every take" - Exclaim!
"like these songs are being played in the middle of a group hug from the people who fight with you everyday for a better life." - Dominionated
“On This City, Sameer Cash is vulnerable as a person, and as a musician stunningly and achingly on point.” - Canadian Beats
Sameer Cash has announced a 32 page adult colouring book, accompanied by snapshot narratives written by Cash himself. 100% of profits will be donated to The Black Solidarity Fund and Sistering. The ‘This City’ colouring book maps the progress of gentrification through Toronto as seen through the eyes of Cash’s younger self. Through images of landmarks, scaffolding, construction sites, and buildings that have played a key role in Cash’s upbringing, Cash tells the story of his Toronto through the migration of buildings, from the old city to this new one. The colouring book, while a perfect companion piece to his acclaimed debut album, also forces a bit more energy out of the reader, causing them to think about their relationship with ‘place’ and ‘home’.
SEE / BUY ‘THIS CITY’ COLOURING BOOK HERE
Of the book Cash says, “it took us months to put this together, and as far as ‘artist’ merchandise goes, this is a pretty in depth and thought out piece of art. The fact that the whole thing has been a non-profit endeavour has really brought together a lot of community support.” Cash collaborated with 11 visual artists in the city, all who donated their time, and contributed one illustration to the book. Along with written pieces accompanying each image with nostalgia or contemplation, the ‘This City’ colouring book is a great way to support some communities in Toronto and Canada as a whole, while also being a great way to take your mind off the impending lockdown. Designed by Raven Shields, pressed by Colour Code Printing, 100% of the profits go to Sistering, and The Black Solidarity Fund.
Follow along with #thiscitycolours
DONATE TO SISTERING
Sistering is a multi-service agency for at-risk, socially isolated women and trans people in Toronto who are homeless or in precarious living situations.
The Black Solidarity Fund supports charities across Canada focused on the advancement of Black Canadians through contributions to social services, arts and culture, mental health supports, and more.
DONATE TO THE BLACK SOLIDARITY FUND
MORE ABOUT THIS CITY LP
Written in between bar shifts and soundchecks and recorded in a garage behind a Chinese restaurant in downtown Toronto, produced by Matthew Bailey, engineered by Chris Stringer (Timber Timbre), mixed by D James Goodwin (Kevin Morby, Craig Finn) and mastered by Philip Bova Shaw (Feist, Andy Shauf), This City is the result of the kind of heartbreaking, and redemptive work that compels us to be better.
WATCH AND SHARE “EASILY” HERE
WATCH AND SHARE “THIS CITY” (MUSIC VIDEO) HERE
WATCH AND SHARE “NOTHING AT ALL” HERE
Sameer Cash was raised on a diet of Rock & Roll records and Hindu fairy tales. His father, born to a large Catholic family in Scarborough, Ontario, left the suburbs to follow the ungovernable religion of 1980’s post-punk. Cash’s mother, born among the mango trees of Kenya, by way of India, clung to her own upbringing through childhood memories and her mother’s cooking, seeking comfort and closure through many Canadian Prairie winters. Cash was born into an amalgamation of communities, converging at the point of least resistance: music (his father wrote and toured the world in various bands from the 1980’s to 2010’s, and his mother became a music manager, now in the industry for the past 30 years).
WATCH AND SHARE “CHERRY RED” LIVE VIDEO HERE
These threads of identity are embedded in the delicate and powerful 9 songs that make up the debut album from Sameer Cash. This City is an album about family and place, about friendships and how they get frayed. ‘When it gets too much, stay in touch with your mother and your high school band,’ he sings near the end of the album.
WATCH AND SHARE “DRIVEWAY MOMENT” LIVE HERE
WATCH AND SHARE “DRIVEWAY MOMENT” OFFICIAL VIDEO HERE
There are intimate moments of quiet fortitude (“Driveway Moment”, “Easily”), rollicking blasts of glory (“Stay In Touch”, “Paralyzed”), and honest narratives on life and work in the city – a genre Cash has christened “gentrification ballads” (“This City”, “$3000”). This City is an ambitiously understated album that’ll soak you in melancholy and leave you out to dry in the sun.
WATCH AND SHARE “KEEP KICKING” HERE
While surely a forerunner for one of 2020’s most exciting releases, Sameer Cash’s This City is a journey you’ve been telling yourself you need to make but just haven’t gotten around to. Now you Can. Don’t worry though, Cash has done all the heavy lifting. All you have to do is push play.
