Right from the beginning of Halcyon Blues, you begin to wonder whether Citizen are acknowledging Calling The Dogs as a misfire. Their previous album is rarely spoken of (if not outright forgotten), thanks to an indie-rock bent with little of their previous depth or panache. Even for Citizen, known to saunter back and forth along the indie / emo / alt-rock pipeline as they are, Calling The Dogs was decidedly not them.
Thus, as Good Fortune kicks off their newest with a rumbling emo riff and loose purposeful drums, Citizen immediately recentre themselves. They don’t seem to regret where they were last time, though. With all that it draws in, Halcyon Blues is still a comfortable fit among the Indie Age of Citizen, carrying out similar ideas while managing them a lot better. Is It In My Brain is the key example, built on a jumpy, nervy indie-rock riff reminiscent of someone like Bloc Party. Compared to how sauceless Calling The Dogs made largely the same sound feel, it’s a huge improvement.
You could also put it next to an album like Basement’s WIRED to spot the difference. Between both, it’s not hard to notice which band’s version of indie-rock is the most natural to them, and it’s not the one who nearly a decade to get theirs out. Halcyon Blues takes those influences and uses them to bring out a fresher emo sound from Citizen. Good Fortune accents its guitars and thumpy bass with aerated synths that make it all the more sweeping. A bit later, there’s a crystalline shimmer to the title track that, amid its stable emo rhythm, makes its melancholy pop all the more.
Perhaps it’s not the most exhilarating sound in Citizen’s repertoire—Youth did pretty much define the scene in the 2010s, after all—but it’s hugely appealing, all the same. There’s clarity without texture and tone being compromised; there’s something so accessible about it. Citizen clearly know how this should be done, too. Other than the congealed gloop that Always The Last One To Leave becomes (made worse when it’s likely unintentional), Halcyon Blues rests soundly on its crystal-clear vision. Here’s a slightly poppier, lighter version of Citizen that, ultimately, still sounds like how they should, and songs like Either Way and Highs And Lows are great reinterpretations of what this band does best.
Citizen’s own presence is instrumental in that, as well. Again, it’s a critical diversion from Calling The Dogs—on Halcyon Blues, despite its sheen, nothing is snuffed out. You feel that in Mat Kerekes’ vocals most of all, where songs like Good Fortune, I Can See You From Here and Smooth Talker aren’t lacking in snarl beneath their melody. Matador shows that off to an even greater extent, as it deviates into mean, curdled post-punk where any exuberance has been eroded away. It’s the greatest outlier on Halcyon Blues (and probably doesn’t even fit, if we’re being honest), but Kerekes has the bark to sell it regardless.
It’s the album’s rhythm section that adds the most overall, though, especially Ben Russin’s drums. Eric Hamm’s bass work is consistently good, too, but Russin brings some of that Title Fight pedigree into the fold, in a much more memorable way than last time. It fits with Halcyon Blues’ fluidity when it needs to on Good Fortune and the crisp shuffles of the title track and Ether, with clear room to open up and adapt. There’s a great stutter that contributes heavily to how kinetic Is It In My Brain is, and the lovely, small-scale rattle of Anna is the perfect ribbon on a closer like this. An extravagant feat of percussion, this is not, but it’s always great for what’s required.
And that’s really Halcyon Blues in a nutshell. Rarely does it leap out, but it’s crafted to simmer more with each successive listen until it’s nigh-impossible to ignore. More than that, it’s so good to see Citizen progress rather than simply turn tail and slink back to what always worked. Even if Halcyon Blues is far from the paradigm shift of its early lineage, it’s a fresh, clean entry with a slew of features all of its own to like. For what it is—the next step in a musical journey, tacitly evolving with underrated disposition—this is a big win.
For fans of: Seahaven, Basement, Movements
‘Halcyon Blues’ by Citizen is released on 7th August on Run For Cover Records.
Words by Luke Nuttall
