No Cities Left

No Cities Left
Studio album by
The Dears
ReleasedApril 15, 2003 (2003-04-15)
RecordedApril 2002–2003
GenresIndie rock, baroque pop
Length62:51
LabelMapleMusic Recordings
ProducerMurray Lightburn
The Dears chronology
Protest
(2002)		 No Cities Left
(2003)		 Thank You Good Night Sold Out
(2004)
Singles from No Cities Left
  1. "We Can Have It" / "Summer of Protest"
    Released: 16 August 2004
  2. "Lost in the Plot"
    Released: 8 November 2004
  3. "22: The Death of All the Romance"
    Released: 2 May 2005
Alternative cover
US release cover
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic79/100
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStar
Pitchfork6.8/10
The GuardianStarStarStarStar
Drowned in Sound7/10
The A.V. ClubC+

No Cities Left is the second album by Canadian band The Dears, released in 2003 on MapleMusic Recordings. The album features fellow Canadian indie-rocker Sam Roberts playing violin on "Never Destroy Us".

Track listing

All songs written by Murray Lightburn.

  1. "We Can Have It" – 5:42
  2. "Who Are You, Defenders of the Universe?" – 3:41
  3. "Lost in the Plot" – 4:48
  4. "The Second Part" – 5:42
  5. "Don't Lose the Faith" – 3:10
  6. "Expect the Worst/'Cos She's a Tourist" – 7:52
  7. "Pinned Together, Falling Apart" – 6:01
  8. "Never Destroy Us" – 4:29
  9. "Warm and Sunny Days" – 5:47
  10. "22: The Death of All the Romance" – 5:56
  11. "Postcard from Purgatory" – 7:57
  12. "No Cities Left" – 5:23

"Don't Lose the Faith" was omitted from the original American release.

Re-releases

The 2005 re-release of No Cities Left included "Don't Lose the Faith" and also the content of their EP Protest.

In 2024, a 20th anniversary edition of the album was released, featuring six extra tracks of demos and acoustic versions. The reissue was promoted in part with a series of full-album concerts in Montreal, Toronto, and Hamilton. During the Montreal show at the Rialto Theatre, Murray Lightburn was spontaneously moved to tell the audience that life—despite its hardships—is fundamentally beautiful. After he asked the crowd to chant "Life is beautiful!" back to him three times, the moment inspired the title and themes of the band's 2025 album, Life Is Beautiful! Life Is Beautiful! Life Is Beautiful!

Videos

Videos were released for "Lost in the Plot" and "22: The Death of All the Romance".

Personnel

References

  1. ↑ "No Cities Left by The Dears". Metacritic. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  2. ↑ Monger, James Christopher. No Cities Left at AllMusic
  3. ↑ Abebe, Nitsuh (July 10, 2003). "No Cities Left". Pitchfork. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
  4. ↑ Simpson, Dave (9 December 2004). "The Dears, No Cities Left – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
  5. ↑ Farley, Andrew (September 21, 2004). "The Dears – No Cities Left". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 28 January 2026.[dead link]
  6. ↑ Modell, Josh (January 3, 2005). "The Dears: No Cities Left". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
  7. ↑ Megan Lapierre, "The Dears Reissue 'No Cities Left' for 20th Anniversary, Sign to Outside Music". Exclaim!, August 14, 2024.
  8. ↑ Dave MacIntyre, "The Dears go all in on their new album Life Is Beautiful! Life Is Beautiful! Life Is Beautiful!". Cult MTL, November 20, 2025.