Where Were We?
1. So I've Been Told (6:29), composed by Christian Tremblay
2. Fischer's Cove (8:43), composed by Steve Wilkinson
3. Orbs (5:00), composed by Mike Caudill
4. Elpis Landing (8:45), composed by Blain Crawford
5. You Didn't Deserve That (5:50), composed by Christian Tremblay
6. Sand and Snow (7:01), composed by Blain Crawford
7. Mirage (11:24), composed by Steve Wilkinson
8. Your Own Worst Enemy (11:13), composed by Mike Caudill

All composers represented by ASCAP.

City of Four’s largest effort to date, Where Were We? presents 65 minutes of music displaying a diverse range of influences. Harkening back to jazz fusion pioneers like Herbie Hancock and Weather Report, the music also draws inspiration from contemporary artists like Robert Glasper, Joshua Redman, Aaron Parks, and others.

The band's sound is an amalgamation of the creative minds of its four composers. Mike Caudill, Blain Crawford, Steve Wilkinson, and Christian Tremblay each contribute a distinct compositional style. Their interactive performances shape City of Four's collective voice.

Following the band's completely self-produced pandemic EP, Not Lost, which caught the attention of New Jersey-based indie label Mint 400 Records, City of Four signed on to produce a full album for Mint 400's new jazz and instrumental sub-label, Raining Music.

In many respects, the process of creating Where Were We? was the polar opposite of the band's process in creating Not Lost. The pandemic EP, recorded in October 2020, featured performances of the group's first time meeting in-person since March of that year. There were no rehearsals and no guarantee that the band would be able to get together to play again between surges of the coronavirus. Not Lost is a snapshot in time, and there was no original intention of necessarily releasing any of that music.

Where Were We?, on the other hand, was conceived over several months after the band decided to release Not Lost. The group began meeting regularly for rehearsals again in the summer of 2021, when in-person activities became more normalized. A schedule was drafted, and despite not playing a single show in 2021, City of Four had one of its busiest years to date. The band chose to record Where Were We? at Wellspring Sound in Acton, MA, a studio that has produced a large body of fantastic music. The recording setup, engineered by Matt Hayes, featured use of the studio's various isolation and live rooms for different instruments, effects, and amps, as well as much of the studio's house gear, including a vintage 1971 Fender Rhodes, 60s Wurlitzer electric piano, Yamaha C7 grand piano, 1958 Hammond B3 organ, and an array of electric basses.

After the tracking phase, the band got in touch with renowned engineer Dave Darlington, who has worked with artists including Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, and Jack DeJohnette, to do the mixing and mastering at Bass Hit Studios in New York City.

For the album art, City of Four sought the expertise of graffiti-inspired artist Dan "Handskillz" Thompson from Indianapolis, IN. In the spirit of the music, the album artwork was created while listening to each of the various album tracks and their improvisations. The technique used to create the artwork was not just inspired by the music, but actually reflected a similar process to how the music itself was created and improvised in the first place.

The album is a conversation between four friends who supported each other creatively, intellectually, and emotionally during rough times. The title "Where Were We?" was in fact the first question band members asked each other when they made plans for a full length album that would capture the energy and spontaneity of City of Four's pre-pandemic live performances. Each member of the band contributes two compositions, drawn mostly from these live sets, with a few new and never-performed tunes included too.

In asking, "Where Were We?" now, over two years since the world turned upside down, City of Four is looking toward the future and taking the first of many bold new steps in a not-so-often traveled direction.

City of Four and Mint 400 Records present Where Were We?, available for streaming on all major platforms, and on Bandcamp in both digital and physical formats.