British instrumental rock band Civil Service have released a new video single, ‘URBNDCY’. This track is taken from their forthcoming album ‘DARK ///’, out November 21st via A Cheery Wave / Ripcord Records. Following the band’s 2024 release ‘/// LIGHT’, which was a narrative exploration of humanity’s fleeting search for meaning – whereas its stark counterpart DARK /// shifts focus to the immovable obstacles in our way. Across its sprawling, atmospheric soundscapes, the record confronts the weight of mental health struggles, the silent toll of undiagnosed conditions, the futility of power against tyranny, and the desperate but faltering attempts to find solace in chaos.
“URBNDCY [going with this stylisation, pron. Urban Decay] is a dark take on the destruction of our living environments by the human-made perils of war, greed and pollution.” – Civil Service
The upcoming album DARK /// from the Manchester-based instrumental rock collective is due to be out on November 21st via A Cheery Wave Records and Ripcord Records.
This album follows the band’s 2024 release ‘/// LIGHT’, which was a narrative exploration of humanity’s fleeting search for meaning – whereas its stark counterpart DARK /// shifts focus to the immovable obstacles in our way. Across its sprawling, atmospheric soundscapes, the record confronts the weight of mental health struggles, the silent toll of undiagnosed conditions, the futility of power against tyranny, and the desperate but faltering attempts to find solace in chaos.
“Where ‘/// LIGHT’ searched for illumination, ‘DARK ///’ is about all the walls we crash into along the way,” the band explains. “It’s isolation, despair, collapse—and the fractures in ourselves and our societies that we can’t escape.” – Civil Service
Formed in the aftermath of their previous indie projects dissolving, Civil Service took shape after the members’ shared experience at early editions of ArcTanGent Festival. Their vision was to create expansive, atmospheric instrumental rock, drawing inspiration from acts like Mogwai, 65DaysOfStatic, Mono, God Is An Astronaut, MaybeSheWill, and Alcest.
After a string of early singles, they emerged from the pandemic with Life///Death, before embarking on their ambitious double album project—split into /// LIGHT and DARK ///—both recorded with Dave Sanderson at Crystal Ship Studios.
Since 2022, Civil Service have carved out a reputation as a powerful live act. They’ve curated their own shows in Manchester, inviting peers such as Din Of Celestial Birds, Kusanagi, LOE, Mount Forel, and La Bestia De GavAudan, while also touring alongside Overhead The Albatross, FORT, and Blackshape. Their journey has also seen them share the stage with And So I Watch You From Afar and The Dear Hunter.
With DARK ///, Civil Service delivers an uncompromising soundtrack to a world on the brink—an album steeped in dread, but equally in defiance.
Track listing:
1. An Infant Wave On A Savage Ocean
2. Black Giraffes
3. These Cities Are Ruins
4. URBNDCY
5. The Heurist
6. Every Beam Of Light Is An Invitation To Death
7. Distraction Tactics
8. Turn Out The Light
Band Members:
Francis Atkinson – Guitar, Keys, Programming
Alex Coates – Guitar, sample arrangements
Thom Hamper – Drums
James Wilkes – Bass
