Album Review: Halcyon Blues by Citizen
Album artwork for Halcyon Blues by Citizen
Citizen are not shy when it comes to creating music, with an impressive track record of releasing records that are memorable and filled with continuous bangers, ‘Halcyon Blues’ is no different. With the singles off this record already delivering a well deserved hype around them, the album delivers a delicious example that Citizen are still one of the best to do it. They’re masters of this genre and they deliver it well. You listen to this and know it’s a Citizen record and it fills you with excitement. Following on from their 2022 record ‘Calling The Dogs’, in which the band departs from its previous emo and rock sound for a more subdued indie sound, with ‘Halcyon Blues’ it brings you back with the familiar aggressive sound which harkens back to earlier releases, while also keeping things fresh without straying too far away from their original sound.
Opening with Good Fortune, it feels stereotypically Citizen coded. Ben Russin’s heavier style of drumming alongside Mat Kerekes delivery of his vocals in such a familiar tonal way that is continuously recognised and universally enjoyed, while not shying away from using his usual vocal shifts with varying from low heartfelt lyrics in the bridge and combining it with his highs in the choruses. This feels like a Citizen album opener, but in all the good ways. Opening with such an explosive song already pushes you in the direction of where the rest of this record goes. A perfect opener, but an even better song that reminds you that Citizen is a band that you can always rely on.
Halcyon Blues, the title track and the first single that we heard from this record, and it’s another example that pinpoints everything that Citizen is good at. Mat Kerekes is almost known as the king of love and heartbreak and this song doesn’t shy away from that. He performs this song with passion and beautifully harmonises with the instrumentals that the band delivers alongside him. Pulling back to the acoustic, emotional gut wrenching songs is what Citizen have mastered, this is a song that definitely deserved to be the title track, this is everything that Citizen is known for and is the piece that all fans, old and new, will remember and enjoy.
As stated previously, we see the newer Citizen records leaning more towards indie influences, and while ‘Halcyon Blues’ does reign more familiar to older releases, the song Is It In My Brain? is a very tongue in cheek indie track. This feels more like a radio friendly breakfast show anthem, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it feels slightly disjointed from what we are normally expecting. This seems like something that is more catered towards newer listeners and sort of throws older fans off slightly. It is still blatantly a Citizen song with the vocals and instrumentals, but the bridge sounds very reminiscent of The Kooks or Two Door Cinema Club in a sense that it’s very indie, and when you listen to it you can picture it being in a British teenage romcom. It’s nostalgic in that sense, which you can supposedly say is a good thing, but don’t expect it to be like other tracks us older fans enjoy.
Ending the first half of this 11 track record, the song Either Way has subtle nods towards another thing that Citizen does well, and that’s having a slow singalong filled with heartbreak and raw emotion. If this is your first listen to this band, this will probably put you through the wringer, but it’s a type of sound and placement the older fans all know and enjoy. The first 5 songs of this record seem to all follow the same guideline of being quite unique and slower, throwing you completely off the scent of the rest of the record and previous discography. To hold the album accountable from the first 5 songs seems slightly judgemental, considering the transition from Either Way to Matador throws you through a loop.
Matador has an intense 10 opening seconds, with heavy riffs and an opening scream that wakes you up immediately from the first half of the record. In a way this track is kinda serving Kasabian ever so slightly. Maybe it’s just the 2010 British radio rock vibe this album is giving. This song seems to be catered to the old fans, the moshers, and the BBC introducing enjoyers. This track would've gone crazy at Reading & Leeds in 2012 and you know what? It’s incredibly endearing and enjoyable. Eric Hamm’s bass work is mesmerising in this song and really steals the show, it’s a raw and real headbanger song. You find yourself coming back to it often, and it might be one of the best songs in the album.
Continuing on with the theme of Eric putting his entire life and his bass into this album, Smooth Talker feels vulnerable with the lyricism, and this is one of the more notable heavier songs. It is so textbook Citizen and is exactly the kind of song you would expect. The thing we love about Citizen is the heavy juxtaposition of emotionally heartbreaking lyrics being sung to the most upbeat and happiest instrumentals, Russin’s drumming skills are also displayed remarkably and you can really tell that he enjoys playing the heavier stuff and has a good time doing so. You can feel the energy while listening and it makes you feel giddy. This is what Citizen is known for, and they do it remarkably well.
Highs and Lows is the album's lead single and another heavy hitter being so classically brilliant. With it being a combination of different eras while still remaining individual to the band, it has the emotional lyricism reminiscent of ‘Youth’, while having the more upbeat approach similar to ‘Life In Your Glass World’ and ‘As You Please’. It is such a perfect example of the band's evolution and their talent to continuously create outside of the box. It is unapologetically Citizen. Creating such a perfect blend of guitar tones, drums and heavy bass combined with Kerekes’ style vocals, the chorus being the perfect crowd surf, mic grab, hands in the air singalong.
While this record may seem to cater towards newer fans, it feels sometimes that they remember themselves and tie in a, ‘hey guys, we still got it trust me,’ to a couple of songs, subtle nods to long enjoying Citizen fans. It takes a while to get used too, which feels like a potential deal breaker for a lot of people.
To put Citizen in a genre box is something that you just cannot do, they show us time and time again that they’re willing to tackle and take influence from other genres. To only limit them to one style seems absurd, and you could think that Citizen is probably the only band that can get away with this. While still keeping their style familiar to the older fans, the newer listener can use this as an opportunity to explore the wide varied discography. The enjoyable thing about a band like Citizen, is that when somebody says they’re a fan, you can say ‘Which era?’ because this band is so diverse when it comes to sounds and creativity while still maintaining a unique sound and style that only they can cater to. Citizen fans, old and new have a bit of everything with this record. Sometimes you need to listen to this repeatedly until it clicks, which can throw some people off, but if you do decide to listen to this on repeat until you can enjoy it, it becomes a perfectly timed record of the summer.
FFO: Indie Rock, As You Please, Summer Heartbreak
SCORE: 7/10
Halcyon Blues released on all streaming platforms on Friday 7th August, via Run For Cover Records.
