Soon after their recent interview for IDIOTEQ, Metal Injection is hosting the public debut of BERTHOLD CITY’s new video for “Flashing Lights,” the song found on their debut LP, When Words Are Not Enough, out now on WAR Records.
Los Angeles straight edge hardcore act BERTHOLD CITY, formed by members of Strife, World Be Free, Internal Affairs, Abrasian, One Choice, Allegiance, The Mistake, and more, released When Words Are Not Enough through vocalist Andrew Kline’s own WAR Records in March. With twelve tracks of foundational, hard hitting, anthemic hardcore, When Words Are Not Enough solidifies the band as a powerful entity in modern hardcore. The album was recorded and mixed at Jet To Mars Studio by Nick Jett (Terror), mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege (Integrity, Jesus Piece, God’s Hate), completed with cover art and design by Jeremy Dean, and features guest vocals from Jason Mazzola (Count Me Out) on “Left With Nothing.”
The new video for “Flashing Lights” was directed by BERTHOLD CITY’s bassist John “Eightclip” Jenkins, who states, “The song’s lyrics speak to the notion of value. What do we value, and how do we make the decision as to what holds value?
“The concept of the video was to play with the pace and speed of the way the song was written. Then use that as a metaphor for the internal monologue we as humans struggle with daily. The lyrical delivery, and the public facing freneticism of Andrew contrasted with the inner monologue of the instrumentation acting as a metaphor for how our brain makes decisions. How do we slow down decision making and ultimately life, in order to actually determine what we hold as valuable?
“As Ferris Beuller said, ‘Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.’
“Take all the information you’re given from all different aspects of life and slow those moments down. Take what you can from different thoughts, ideas, and philosophies. Then determine if your value is based on the money you have, or the way you actually live.”
BERTHOLD CITY will head out to the East Coast this May on a four-city tour with Change. The band will play Asbury Park on May 19th, Philadelphia on the 20th, Brooklyn on the 21st, and Wallingford on the 22nd. See the dates below and watch for additional regional tours to post over the coming months.
BERTHOLD CITY w/ Change:
5/19/2022 Bond St. Basement – Asbury Park, NJ
5/20/2022 The Yard – Philadelphia, PA
5/21/2022 Gold Sounds – Brooklyn, NY
5/22/2022 Wamleg – Wallingford, CT
Formed in 2017 by vocalist Andrew Kline (guitarist for Strife, World Be Free), BERTHOLD CITY’s lineup is rounded out by guitarist Dennis McDonald (Internal Affairs), drummer Adam Galindo (Abrasian, One Choice), bassist John “Eightclip” Jenkins (Allegiance), and guitarist Dave Itow (The Mistake). The band released a three-song demo in July of 2017 and quickly followed it up with the release of both the Moment Of Truth and What Time Takes 7” EPs. Since their formation, BERTHOLD CITY hit the ground running and completed short tours on both East and West coasts with Terror, Regulate, Fireburn, Change, Scowl, Kill Your Idols, and more. Locally they have shared the stage with bands such as Sick of it All, Judge, Shelter, Agnostic Front, Youth Of Today, Dare, Drain, Take Offense, among others.
