17 years into an impressive career, Citizen still feel like underdogs who have never quite fit in. The band’s persistent sonic evolution and refusal to make the same record twice has earned them a reputation as one of the most consistently captivating bands in modern rock music. But following your own path often means walking it alone, and their unlikely rise from a band of Toledo high schoolers to long-running headliners capable of selling out shows around the world has been hard-earned. It’s precisely this commitment to their craft that has led to their new album, Halcyon Blues. It’s a dynamic and confident culmination of all that’s come before, making it crystal clear that for all their sonic restlessness, Citizen have always known exactly who they are.
From the start, the band–vocalist Mat Kerekes, guitarist Nick Hamm, bassist Eric Hamm, along with newer members guitarist Mason Mercer and drummer Ben Russin–were steadfastly determined to follow their creativity wherever it led. Over the years they deftly moved through raw emo, menacing post-hardcore, anthemic alternative, garage-y indie pop, and so much more. Now Halcyon Blues brings elements from throughout their entire catalog together into a singular and instantly satisfying record that just sounds like Citizen.
In the band’s earlier years, their sonic shifts were seen as a bug rather than a feature. “We’ve never easily known where we belong,” explains Kerekes. “When we were coming up we’d try to get tours and people would ask verbatim, ‘What kind of band is this?’ We were the ugly ducklings for a long time, and maybe we still are, but I like that we figured out how to stand on our own.” And the band has also stood the test of time. While many of their contemporaries from the 2010s emo boom burned bright but also quickly burned out, Citizen’s singular focus on pushing themselves musically allowed them to grow steadily–and for their audience to grow with them. “A lot of bands try to do anything they can to be the hottest thing of the moment and we’ve just never operated like that,” says Nick Hamm. “We don’t think in moments, or months, or record cycles. Some bands end up getting sick of whatever walls they exist in, but I see Citizen as this long term creative project where there’s always somewhere new to go, and that’s kept me exhilarated through all these years. And we’ve trusted that people who like our band will want to come along. A lot of people grew with us and we’re really thankful for that.”
Where past Citizen albums have felt like direct responses to the preceding release, Halcyon Blues sounds like the group wrapping their arms around their entire catalog and carrying it forward. Recorded by Kerekes in his home studio in Toledo, then mixed by Tom Lorde-Alge (U2, Weezer, Blink182), the record taps into the urgency and ferocity of Citizen’s early albums while embracing the epic scope and undeniable hooks of their more recent work. “I think the band is always in conversation with itself,” explains Hamm. “Early on we tried to set it up so that Citizen could be whatever we want it to be, so we’ve always been ready and willing for the music to change as we change as people. But at the end of the day we are still the same people making music together, the same people that made Youth and all the rest.”
Being those people hasn’t always been easy, for Kerekes in particular, and Halcyon Blues finds him simultaneously reckoning with personal upheaval while finding a sense of security within the band for the first time. “When you’re doing what you always dreamed of doing, you really don’t understand why it’s not always fulfilling,” he explains. “There’s been times where I’ve thought about leaving the band, but the Youth anniversary shows were a real gamechanger for me. I would walk out on stage and look out at the front row and see people’s faces that I recognized because they’ve been coming to Citizen shows for a decade. It made me sort of feel like this is the coolest thing ever. Why would I even for a second not be stoked on it? From that moment on I’ve just been all in. This is who I am and this is what I do.”
Kerekes’ self-assuredness with his role in the band contrasts the uncertainty that permeates Halcyon Blues’ lyrics. “It’s about unexpected change,” he says. “You think you know everything, you think you have everything figured out, and then all of the sudden you don’t. Everything’s different, for better and for worse. Sometimes it’s really hard but ultimately it might be for the best.” The opening salvo of “Good Fortune” and “I Can See You from Here” explode from the speakers, introducing the record’s blend of technicolor sound and melancholic themes. These are huge rock songs with fittingly huge emotions, but the youthful frustration of Citizen’s early work has grown up too, replaced by a more nuanced, though no less cutting, adult perspective. “The album sounds sad but it’s not necessarily like that,” says Kerekes. “Sometimes coming of age things are bittersweet, and this is sort of like that too.” Mid-album standout “Always The Last One To Leave” offers one of the most sweeping ballads Citizen have ever penned, while scorching tracks like “Matador” or “Smooth Talker” tap into pent up resentment with cathartic results. “Highs and Lows” pushes the band’s sound to truly astounding heights, a soaring alternative song driven by propulsive drums, a towering chorus melody, and synth strings that draw the listener into Kerekes’ emotionally raw storytelling.
As the cinematic “Anne” closes out Halcyon Blues, it’s clear that Citizen have truly arrived. “I never imagined we’d play shows to several hundred people, let alone thousands,” says Hamm. “We never had that red-hot rocketship thing, but we always did what we wanted to do and we had a feeling that if we kept doing it, then eventually everything else would come together. Maybe we’ve started to come to that point.” This is the sound of nearly two decades of musical and personal experience combined into a declaration of something their dedicated fans already know: Citizen is one of our great modern rock bands–and they’re at the absolute top of their game.
