It does not hurt to branch out and try new things most of the time. Broadening one's horizons adds character, depth, and dimension.
However, if you’re Citizen, that branch goes too far out and whacks someone in the face with a subpar record.
Background
Citizen has been around since 2009, and they have been a staple in the alt rock community. Youth and Everybody is Going to Heaven are some of their most well known records, and for good reason. Both of those records have substance, enough to draw one in. Unfortunately, this is not the case with this recent release.
Album Highs
Something to hand to this record is that the songs are catchy. ‘If You’re Lonely’ has a danceability that is contagious. Most of these songs would be great to hear in a live setting, as most of them have chantable lyrics that could suffice for audience interaction.
It is clear that Citizen was trying to expand their sound with this one, and that in itself is admirable. As said before, trying new things is going…most of the time.
Album Lows
There are a lot of criticisms for this record, but the main one is that it is lacking substance. It is a record where if someone listened to it all the way through, they would not be able to tell you where a song ends and begins since it all sounds the same. The backing track is the biggest culprit here.
Lyrically, there is not a lot to comment on. Nothing really stands out as groundbreaking or even interesting for that matter. Everything is the standard punk rock formula of senseless chanting.
Those are only just a few criticisms to the record, but there are plenty more than that.
More: All Time Low's 'Fake as Hell' is too real
More: There is more than meets the eye with "Where Do We Go From Here?"
Verdict
This record is a 3/10
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Kasper Mielke is a music reviewer for the Eastern Echo. He is a women and gender studies major with a minor in creative writing. He has worked for The Echo since the summer of 2022, and has stuck to writing music reviews.
