Sydney, Australia born singer-songwriter Sam Fischer left home for the US after being accepted by Boston's Berklee College of Music to study music. After graduating from Berklee, Fischer moved to Los Angeles, where he co-penned songs for the likes of Ciara ("Dose") and Andy Grammer ("The Good Parts") as well as aiming for success as an artist on his own. In January 2018, Fischer released his debut EP, Not a Hobby, which included the single "This City." The heartfelt pop ode to Los Angeles gained momentum online the following year after being featured on Tik Tok. This earned Fischer a recording contract with RCA, which re-released "This City" in December 2019.
Sam Fischer wrote the song with Jimmy Robbins and Jackson Morgan in 2016 when he was going through a tough time. Fischer was feeling completely disillusioned and defeated with the city he thought would show him the way. This city's got me chasing stars It's been a couple months since I felt like I'm home Am I getting closer to knowing where I belong? This city's gonna break my heart Fischer explained to Genius he was "feeling like I wanted LA more than LA wanted me but not giving up."
Fischer starts off the song by recalling a friend's album release party he attended the night before. The event was held in a vast warehouse and had a minimalist vibe. He recalled to Too Good Music: "Everyone there looked absolutely incredible and were really taking a keen interest into the booth with neon lights on the wall and a small, old TV box with nothing but static on it. I swear there were like 25 people crowding around this thing." I've been seeing lonely people in crowded rooms Covering their old heartbreaks with new tattoos It's all about smoke screens and cigarettes Looking through low lights at silhouettes But all I see is lonely people in crowded rooms Fischer found the entire experience superficial, and he felt out of place with all these shallow partygoers. "I just didn't get it," he said, "and it honestly just made me feel this sense of disillusion and confusion."
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