Citizen have returned! Today the Toledo, OH-based rock powerhouse have announced their new album, Halcyon Blues, due out August 7th via Run For Cover Records.
Citizen have always been determined to follow their own path, taking creative risks and challenging expectations at every turn. It's all led to Halcyon Blues, a dynamic, confident release that draws on nearly two decades of musical and personal growth to emphatically declare what their dedicated fans already know: Citizen are one of our great modern rock bands–and they’re at the absolute top of their game.
To celebrate the album's announce, Citizen have shared Halcyon Blues' massive lead single, "Highs and Lows." It's a bold cut of technicolor alternative that steadily builds from a dark, pulsating bass line into the kind of euphoric chorus that few bands can come close to achieving. Prepare to hit repeat because the best rock song of the summer just arrived a little early.
17 years into an impressive career, Citizen still feel like underdogs who have never quite fit in. The band have had an unlikely rise from a group of Toledo high schoolers to long-running headliners capable of selling out shows around the world, and they got there through persistent sonic evolution. Over the years they've moved deftly through raw emo, menacing post-hardcore, anthemic alternative, garage-y indie pop, and so much more, now Halcyon Blues combines elements from throughout their entire catalog together into a singular and instantly satisfying record that just sounds like Citizen.
Recorded by vocalist Mat Kerekes then mixed by Tom Lorde-Alge (U2, Weezer, Blink182), Halcyon Blues taps into the urgency and ferocity of Citizen's early albums while embracing the epic scope and undeniable hooks of their more recent work. The group's determination and focus on pushing themselves musically has 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 guitarist 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.”
