Life In The City began with Vatro watching the world around him. The Croatian-born musician, now based in Ireland, describes his debut as a collection of stories inspired by small moments and the struggles people often carry without saying much. That idea connects an album about city life, loneliness, class, and the relentless desire to escape.
The eight-track album was written, recorded and mixed independently by Vatro, before being mastered by Sage Audio. Its sound combines acoustic and electric guitars, keys, bass and drums, while the songs shift in tempo and mood rather than following one structure. Vatro’s Eastern European accent remains part of the vocals, along with a lisp that, as he jokes, “politely refused to be edited.” That fits the record. Life In The City does not try to polish away every imperfection.
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From Observation to Unease
After the short “Intro,” “River In Between” opens the album. At over seven minutes, it contrasts factories, cars, sewers and crowded streets with roses, music and the life waiting on the other side of town. The writing feels observational, like people-watching put into song. There is a hint of Lou Reed’s approach to storytelling here: watching people move through a city and letting their lives carry the narrative.
“Keep Digging” turns inward. Its central phrase repeats like an instruction, as the narrator moves deeper into frustration and eventually toward prayer. Then comes the title track, where the album’s social commentary becomes most direct. “Life In The City” begins with restaurants, late-night movies, work and the appeal of urban living before that picture gives way to getting lost, losing work and sleeping in a cardboard box. What looks like opportunity can disappear quickly.
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Looking for a Way Out
The second half moves into paranoia and escape. “Someone Always Watching” focuses on the feeling of being observed, while the seven-minute “Searching For Paradise” imagines leaving this life behind for a “Kingdom of the Sun.” After spending much of the album looking at the city, Vatro begins looking for a way beyond it.
What stayed with me about Life In The City is how little Vatro tries to disguise the process behind it. The shifting structures, long-form songs, and unedited vocals make the album feel closer to lived experience. That suits a record built from observation: messy in parts, direct in others, and always interested in what people carry beneath the surface.
Listen to the song here!
Check out our playlists here! Check out our YouTube channel for music reviews, playlists, podcasts, and more!
Disclaimer: This release was brought to you by a promotional campaign by the artist, PR, or management label.
I listen, overanalyse, and write about it. The bassline usually gets special treatment.
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Vatro Observes the Other Side of Urban Life in “Life In The City”
Life In The City began with Vatro watching the world around him. The Croatian-born musician, now based in Ireland, describes his debut as a collection of stories inspired by small moments and the struggles people often carry without saying much. That idea connects an album about city life, loneliness, class, and the relentless desire to escape.
The eight-track album was written, recorded and mixed independently by Vatro, before being mastered by Sage Audio. Its sound combines acoustic and electric guitars, keys, bass and drums, while the songs shift in tempo and mood rather than following one structure. Vatro’s Eastern European accent remains part of the vocals, along with a lisp that, as he jokes, “politely refused to be edited.” That fits the record. Life In The City does not try to polish away every imperfection.
In News: A Short History of Headphones – The Device That Made Music Private
From Observation to Unease
After the short “Intro,” “River In Between” opens the album. At over seven minutes, it contrasts factories, cars, sewers and crowded streets with roses, music and the life waiting on the other side of town. The writing feels observational, like people-watching put into song. There is a hint of Lou Reed’s approach to storytelling here: watching people move through a city and letting their lives carry the narrative.
“Keep Digging” turns inward. Its central phrase repeats like an instruction, as the narrator moves deeper into frustration and eventually toward prayer. Then comes the title track, where the album’s social commentary becomes most direct. “Life In The City” begins with restaurants, late-night movies, work and the appeal of urban living before that picture gives way to getting lost, losing work and sleeping in a cardboard box. What looks like opportunity can disappear quickly.
Read Another Review: ‘Harmonic Surrender’ by Hidden Sector is a Hypnotic Odyssey
Looking for a Way Out
The second half moves into paranoia and escape. “Someone Always Watching” focuses on the feeling of being observed, while the seven-minute “Searching For Paradise” imagines leaving this life behind for a “Kingdom of the Sun.” After spending much of the album looking at the city, Vatro begins looking for a way beyond it.
What stayed with me about Life In The City is how little Vatro tries to disguise the process behind it. The shifting structures, long-form songs, and unedited vocals make the album feel closer to lived experience. That suits a record built from observation: messy in parts, direct in others, and always interested in what people carry beneath the surface.
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Listen to the song here!
Check out our playlists here! Check out our YouTube channel for music reviews, playlists, podcasts, and more!
Disclaimer: This release was brought to you by a promotional campaign by the artist, PR, or management label.
Oorja Pal
I listen, overanalyse, and write about it. The bassline usually gets special treatment.
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