"Lion at the Gate" Digital Download & Single Artwork-- the 3rd single by AV & the Inner City

You have the option of choosing this download in WAV or mp3 format.  Both formats also include a download of the single artwork, which you can only get here, at the AV Store.

About "Lion at the Gate":

Soulful and dynamic, AV and the Inner City's third single, "Lion at the Gate", is an encouraging and hopeful song about recognizing habits that keep people in their own way– and then overcoming those self-imposed obstacles. Weaving elements of roots and soul into their enveloping gospel-style harmonies the track was written long before the pandemic, and remained unreleased until it found its perfect fit within the group's collective sound. Using the symbol of a lion standing before a gate the song focuses on self-sabotage and the fears that keep people from fulfillment, while offering a message of hope and encouragement that one can always make it past the lion. From its melodic, sparse vocal and piano focused introduction, "Lion at the Gate" rapidly blooms into a powerful anthem with powerful vocal harmonies in a gospel-choir arrangement style. Though the instrumentation of the non-vocal elements is intentionally sparse (piano, bass, and drums) the striking group vocals and AV's soaring voice unite to create an unbelievably full-bodied sound. 

The cover artwork for the song features a photo of the Northern Lights, taken in July, 2024, in the greater Edmonton area, which quite strikingly resembles a lion, and which was serendipitously captured by a partner of one of the band members just as the group was looking for an image to fit their song. 

The song's final refrain, "you can make it go," closes the song with a sense of empowerment and triumph, and the realization that the very lion itself can seem less terrifying as it is recognized and named.