Citizen - ‘As You Please’ Album Review

Tracklist:

1. Jet

2. In the Middle Of It All

3. As You Please

4. Medicine

5. Ugly Luck

6. World

7. Fever Days

8. Control

9. Discrete Routine

10. I Forgive No One

11. You Are A Star

12. Flowerchild

The time has come for the Detroit Emo-Grunge Alternative band Citizen to grace us with another album, titled ‘As You Please’. The anticipation for this album has mounted since Citizen release of 4 new singles taken off the new album building excitement for the 6th October release. I was keen to get my hands, well in this sense ears on this album and give it a listen. I have been a huge fan of the band since the early days where they signed to Run For Cover Records and brought out their first full length album back in 2013 titled ‘YOUTH’. I added this to my vinyl collection which is a collection of my favourite albums and I only have if I like the complete album. These albums are those which grip me in the way music should and therefore to qualify it takes something special. Having already accomplished in my opinion with ‘Youth’, its safe to say this new album has a lot to live up to. Since the last album ‘Everybody Is Going To Heaven’ released in 2015 Citizen have been quiet due to Lead Singer Mat Kerekes doing his own project and I’m looking forward to their return with this album. They had a short run of small capacity gigs the week leading up to the release of the album in the UK, where they played the album live for the first time to the intimate fan base. Let’s begin with my thoughts on this one then. Track 1 is ‘Jet’ which was the first release from the new album for Citizen and in my opinion sets the tone of the album perfectly, it’s strong bass line with Matt’s melodic but intense voice perfectly opens up the album. Straight away you can hear citizen doing what they do best, blending their sound which is familiar of the last 2 full length albums but also being unique to the genre and bringing something new to the table. ‘In The Middle of It All’ has a soft and steady build up to a more upbeat chorus where Matt projects his voice elegantly. Track 3 is the title track for the album ‘As You Please’ and it follows on from the tempo of the first two songs and the guitar tones build to make an atmospheric sound with the vocals following throughout which have a soothing and calming feel to them. ‘Medicine’ brings a more upbeat vibe to the album and the passionately driven lyrics bring it all together. One thing I really enjoy about this band is the balance between Matt singing and the music surrounding it either accompanying his voice or holding its own completely.

‘World’ is so far my favourite track on the album, as it packs a punch in the chorus with the harder hitting drums and the impact matts voice has through it, whilst also remaining calming and more restrained in the verses which gives the song a great mix of emotion and intensity. ‘Fever Days’ has the same affect as ‘World’ with its louder chorus and softer versus. What I feel citizen does well is give every instrument its time to shine and you can feel the music building up and then dropping back into a chilled state. ‘Discrete Routine’ starts off very mellow and soothing with the soft drum beat and guitar tone with a piano beautifully incorporated which is new for the album so far. Matt elegantly sings and then 3/4 of the way through the vocal drops and the band get their time to do what they do best. ‘Flowerchild’ the last song on the album is the first time I really hear an acoustic guitar as it begins softly with this and has a chilled out quality about it which matts voice which is pleasantly flowing through it and then the song suddenly picks up in a big way in the middle, then falls straight back down at the end. This being a feature I have enjoyed hearing with this album, as it gives you something different with each minute of listening. When you’re presented with an album this beautifully written and executed it makes you wonder if a band can ever beat it, which is equally how their past 2 albums have made me feel upon each respective release, which shows that they keep getting better over time and because of this have become one of my favourite bands. I will definitely be getting this album on vinyl as every single songs grips me and takes me to a better place. The musicality of this album is outstanding and I can appreciate every voice and instrument being brought to me.