Toronto alt-pop artist City Builders returns with “No Sleep,” a chaotic and euphoric anthem dedicated to wild nights, reckless fun, and the liberating art of letting go. Fueled by intrusive ideas and best-friend mischief, the song celebrates the beauty of becoming a “menace” for one night  because sometimes, freedom sounds like laughter echoing down city streets at 3AM.
“My best friend and I turn into absolute demons on a night out,” says Grace Turner, the force behind City Builders. “There’s nothing like giving into your intrusive ideas with a best friend, and I needed to write something that sounded as chaotic as our nights out.”

The track came together in a whirlwind week with producers Zach Zanardo and Al P, and co-writer Maia Davies – a dream team Turner had admired for years. The chemistry in the studio was electric; from initial demo to final mix, “No Sleep” came to life almost overnight. “Everyone was so stoked with the record that we got the ball rolling immediately and completed the track in a week,” Turner shares. “I even got my friends in the studio to record ad libs and backup vocals and scheduled a shoot for the cover art the same night.”

1. Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically? 

            This song was inspired by a wild night out with my best friend. Whenever we get together we always have the craziest nights and I wanted to capture the beauty of an ugly night out. I think that a part of womanhood is being a mess sometimes, and having friends that allow you to let that menace take over is so important. There are so many societal standards placed on women to be ladylike, and though all the posts that may come from a night out will be curated, I wanted to capture the chaos that the internet might not see.

2. What was the inspiration behind this video (visuals, storyline, etc.)? 

            I had the idea to hire a videographer to follow me and my friends around on a night out, so I planned a typical night on the town. The pre/getting ready, walking through the city, taking the streetcar, pool bar, club etc. The Kei Truck was a happy accident because I had been posting online about how much I loved them. A friend hooked us up an hour before the shoot with a Kei Truck, which was such a fun surprise. 

3. What was the process of making this video?

           The video itself was extremely simple, what made it special was the magic from the people involved. Because the schedule, and shot list were super simple, the improvisations of my friends were the highlights of the video. I essentially sent out a pinterest board and schedule to the group and my videographer, Cole London. Everything was subject to change which gave us the challenge to adapt throughout the night. I was lucky enough to be working with such creative minds on this shoot so everything I would ask of the actors, they would exceed my expectations. As you can imagine, shooting for a whole night gave me a ton of footage to work with and the editing process was super fun, even though I usually hate editing. This video feels like magic to me, and I’m so lucky to have worked with such a wonderful team.

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Beyond its infectious energy, “No Sleep” carries City Builders‘ signature emotional depth: an invitation to embrace chaos without shame. “My goal as an artist is to enable people to feel their most extreme emotions,” says Turner. “I hope this song helps people let loose and become a menace for a night because it is liberating. I also hope that this song encourages the listener to feel shameless and quiets the noise when the hangxiety of a crazy night out creeps in.”

For Turner, “No Sleep” embodies the thrill of friendship and freedom. “This song makes me want to go bar hopping with my best friend, end up at our ops party, make an Irish exit and bring home some kind of furniture we find on the street.”

Turner‘s viral “Group Scream” event in Toronto’s Trinity Bellwoods Park drew hundreds and media coverage from Now Toronto, Toronto Star, and blogTO, sparking a wave of community engagement that continues to grow. With over 17k TikTok followers and counting, City Builders provides a space for fans – affectionately known as The Citizens – to feel seen, scream, and heal together.