Kansas City band Lost In The City offers up a fun, lively and hard-hitting pop-punk sound that they describe as “energetic, honest and nostalgic.”
The quartet of Shane Radford, Danny Davis, Andy David and Tyler Hicks started out as a group of friends who wanted to make songs that “actually meant something.” They released their debut album Genesis in 2016 before a series of singles, and their second album Leaving Home was released in 2018. Life took them in different directions, but the desire to create music never left them and, after a five-year hiatus, they rekindled the love for the band in a space they call “the lab.” Returning with Changing Directions in August, they’ve already released two more singles working with Red Roof Productions in Lenexa with Bret Liber of Young Medicine.
On the sound they’re working on upon their return, the band told us: “It finally feels like the sound we were meant to have. Lost in the City isn’t about reliving the past. It’s about holding onto the spark that started it all and carrying it into whatever comes next. We’ve all grown up a lot since we first played together, but that feeling of being in a room with your friends, chasing down a song that gives you chills, never goes away.
“It’s modern pop punk with heart and a little grit. We love writing songs that hit hard but still make you feel something. The guitars are big, the lyrics are personal, and everything’s built to be played loud. It’s music that sits somewhere between late-night nostalgia and a packed live show.”
Our latest taste of this is Twilight of Summer, which was released on Friday. It opens up with a cool effect-ridden riff with a stabbing guitar over the top, dropping into lively vocals over chunky guitars and a funky keyboard sound. That flows into a big singalong chorus ending with heavy guitars, before the guitars drop out to flow into another edgy verse. A second chorus drops into chunky guitars, before the pace drops with electronic noises, then exploding into intense screamed vocals that tee up a heavy smash of the chorus.
Speaking to us ahead of the release, the band said: “We’re beyond excited. Twilight of Summer captures that last stretch of summer when everything feels golden and temporary. It’s full of emotion and drive, with melodies that feel familiar in the best way. It’s the kind of song you put on repeat when you’re missing something you can’t quite name.”
As mentioned, that follows on from the powerful return track Changing Directions, which opens up with vicious palm-muted guitars under a cool sireny sound. That drops into a light synth before engaging vocals and chunky guitar chords flow into a big catchy chorus. Between those two releases was Bunk Bed, which starts with a cool guitar lick over rolling drums, which drops into a taster of the chorus. It slows down for an opening verse supported by piano and palm-muted guitars building the atmosphere, before flowing into a heavier blast of the chorus. And the track comes to a lively, emotional conclusion.
The Lost In The City sound draws influence from the energy and attitude of punk and rock legends like Fall Out Boy, Blink-182, A Day To Remember, MxPx, Yellowcard, Foo Fighters, and Four Year Strong. They also call out softer influences and indie artists, including the likes of Death Cab for Cutie, as they aim for “a mix of melody, emotion, and that drive to make something timeless.”
And on what inspires them to write music, they explain: “We write about connection, change, and growing up without losing who you were. A lot of the songs touch on nostalgia, friendship, and those in-between moments that shape you. We’ve all gone through the highs and lows that come with getting older, and writing has always been the best way to make sense of it.”
Twilight of Summer kicks off Lost In The City’s Halloween EP, which will be dropping soon. They’re already busy writing their next set of tracks and lining up gigs for next year.
And they added: “Every track we write now feels like a conversation between who we were and who we’ve become. The guitars still crash, the drums still punch, but there’s a deeper heartbeat under it all. We write for the kids we used to be, and for the people out there who still believe music can pull them through something.
“We want our songs to make people remember what it felt like to drive around with no real destination, just loud music and too many thoughts. The nights that felt endless. The friends you thought you’d never lose. The moments that hit you years later and remind you that you were alive, even when everything was uncertain.
“Lost in the City is a band built on that feeling of growing up, falling apart, and finding your way back to what matters. We’re still chasing the same thing we always were: that one song that makes you stop what you’re doing and feel something real. Still loud. Still burning. Still lost.”
You can follow Lost In The City on Facebook, Instagram and Threads, and check out their music on Spotify, Bandcamp, Apple Music and YouTube.
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