The Prize Fighter Inferno reveals ‘The City Introvert’; drops “Sweet Talker”

It’s been nearly fifteen years since Claudio Sanchez, most known as a founding member of Coheed and Cambria, released music under moniker The Prize Fighter Inferno. Today, Sanchez shares lead single, “Sweet Talker,” from upcoming record, ‘The City Introvert,’ due out April 23rd on Evil Ink Records. Pre-order for the forthcoming record is going on now: ffm.to/thecityintrovert. Additionally, fans can head to evilink.com starting today at 10:00 am PT to pre-order a limited Ghostly Green pressing of ‘The City Introvert.’

Check out lead single “Sweet Talker”: ffm.to/pfisweettalker [embedded below].

“Pulsing with layers of synthesizer that sound like Sanchez plundered an entire ’80s music shop, ‘Sweet Talker’ feels like the very moment of epiphany. It builds and buzzes, pushing towards a universal truth it entreats the listener to hold onto: Make the most of what little time we have,” Consequence of Sound lauded upon release.

Incorporating a sample from his son’s second Christmas morning, “Sweet Talker” is a gentle reminder of the larger message surrounding the album—the idea of a fleeting life, and the importance of tightening one’s grasp to the moments that matter most. It is with this message in mind that ‘The City Introvert’ chronicles Sanchez’s personal story of life during the global pandemic. While deeply introspective, the record encapsulates Sanchez’s personal story through upbeat, electronically-tinged tunes, achieved with modular synthesizers, vintage drum machines, and vocals manipulated through multiple layers of processing and effects.

It was in March 2020 when Sanchez’s grandfather fell ill and simultaneously, his wife began battling an auto-immune disease. This meant that any potential exposure to the coronavirus could have deadly consequences at home, making a brief goodbye to his ailing grandfather unlikely. Sanchez found himself coping with the darkness and uncertainty the only way he knew how—writing. The result is reviving a rare, introspective solo project with 10-track LP, ‘The City Introvert.’

‘The City Introvert’ track listing:
1. More Than Love
2. Death Rattle
3. Crazy For You
4. Stray Bullets
5. Rock Bottom
6. Holiday Fool
7. Sweet Talker
8. Roll For Initiative
9. She’s The Brains, My Sweetheart
10. Stay Where You Are

“I needed an outlet to move through everything I was facing at the time,” Sanchez explains. “Like a lot of people, I felt this tug of war between who I was before the pandemic and who I had to become because of the circumstances I’d been thrust into.” The unique circumstances that shaped 2020––like the isolation COVID-19 threw us all into––gave the musician the needed space to return to the unassisted venture. “I have had this project sitting around for a while, and the only time I ever really release stuff is when it doesn’t affect Coheed and Cambria,” Sanchez told SPIN last May.

In July 2020, Sanchez shared five tracks from ‘The City Introvert’ as the ‘Stray Bullets’ EP. Alongside the titular track, “Death Rattle,” “Crazy For You,” “Stand by Me,” and “More Than Love” provided fans with a prologue to Prize Fighter’s latest.

Pre-save ‘The City Introvert’ now: ffm.to/thecityintrovert.

Stay in the loop with The Prize Fighter Inferno on Facebook and Instagram, and don’t miss ‘The City Introvert’ in full, out April 23rd, 2021.

Photo by Chondra Echert
Press release courtesy of Crown Jül