“It’s a very messy process by which we write our music,” says The Living City drummer Tyler Gorman. “Something akin to a high-functioning mental illness, which has everything to do with who we are as individuals. Since most of us are longtime friends, we can be a little hard on each other when writing.”

Gorman formed the emo-influenced indie rock outfit in 2010 along with guitarist Justin Hahn. Gorman says it took the duo over a month to convince friend Matt Swift that his “acoustic bedroom noodlings”—as opposed to his heavier guitar work with the likes of Vaccine and Relics—was the band’s missing link.

After adding vocalist Dylan Campbell and bassist Timmy Moriarty, The Living City was complete.

“Everyone in the band has been playing music for years, but never in a project that sounds anything like The Living City, so there are always conflicting ideas,” explains Gorman. “We would be the most angry and dysfunctional group of buds around if not for the fact that, despite all our arguing about every little musical turn, we somehow always agree with each other in the end without compromise.

“We all sort of dread writing new material, but the results are worth the effort, as none of us ever seem to tire of the songs already in the bank.”

While it might differ from past projects, The Living City still fits in nicely with a local DIY scene that its members have helped nurture—a scene that the rockers are happy to report is thriving.

“Shows in Western Mass have been really awesome lately,” says Swift. “House shows in Amherst have been incredibly well attended, especially for the summertime, with students being gone. The new Flywheel in Easthampton is amazing, and is a much needed all-ages, non-profit alternative to the Northampton music venue scene. There have been lots of new faces at shows around Western Mass., which is always a good sign of the current state of things.”

The Living City is setting its sights on finishing up some recordings so it can focus on writing new tunes and bringing live sounds to the masses.

“The band is pretty much entirely comprised of best friends, and the music is super fun to play live, so it’s something I’m excited to take on tour whenever that happens,” says Gorman.

The quintet has shows throughout New England this summer, including a few stops with Literature, on tour from Texas, and an August 25 performance at Amherst’s Dad City with friends The Clippers and Sneeze from Boston.

For songs and more information, visit www.facebook.com/thelivingcityband.