The Ukrainian-born, NY-hailing pop-rock chameleonic enigma IGOR closed 2023 with a pop-punk hit that viscerally advocated autonomy. Instead of starting 2024 with a bang, he exhibited the softer side of his talent by unleashing the pop-rock piano ballad, In This City, which sees his evocative range amplified through harmonies shared with Alana Diaz.
Atop the minor piano keys and gentle string crescendos, a panoramic narrative unfolds, inviting you into a world of unfaltering connection. The sense of security depicted in the narrative synchronously painted between IGOR and Diaz as they portray two lonely figures in an inhospitable city is profound enough to deliver consolation to anyone who traverses our imperfectly isolating earth without someone to dispel the disconnection. Woven into the ornately strident release is the affirmation that blood doesn’t always run thicker than water; you can find your family in the soul of whoever is capable of salving the ache of alienation.
In This City was officially released on January 19th; stream the single on Spotify.
Review by Amelia Vandergast