ALBUM REVIEW: Halcyon Blues – Citizen
Halcyon Blues finds CITIZEN consolidating all of their past sonic pathways into one place. Never a band to stand still, their career has seen them embrace shifting sounds, and on Halcyon Blues, they take stock of each corner turned. Embracing a new chapter of their career by reflecting on the past, Halcyon Blues feels like a much needed reset and recalibration for the band.
Good Fortune swings out of the gates with an energetic kick that balances groove and intensity in that exact sweet spot that CITIZEN have been exploring in more recent releases Calling The Dogs and Life In Your Glass World. Matador carries this power, with a grittier sound that carries a pent up resentment within it. Equally, a late hitter on Halcyon Blues, Smooth Talker is a particular album highlight with a bouncing melody and a dynamism behind its punchiness.
Amidst these big hitters, CITIZEN also find their path return to more melodic, emotional threads. 2013’s Youth became a cult classic for its near alchemic way of blending deeply emotional ideas with moving atmospheric soundscapes. On Halcyon Blues you can feel CITIZEN consolidating that approach with a newfound maturity. Either Way sees them asking “how many times do we have to be hurt before we get it right?” to the slower and building drumbeat behind it. Equally the acoustic guitar and piano behind Always The Last One To Leave make the track a moving ballad half way into the album.
In their quest to take stock of their varying sonic explorations, CITIZEN do a compelling job of pulling influences across their career. But it’s not really until penultimate track Highs And Lows that they balance it all into one sound. The chorus calls out with an incredibly catchy melody and passionate vocals which floats across atmospheric synth strings and punchy drums. Its quintessential CITIZEN with a new flair behind it. Here at the end of the album, it feels like a teaser of where they may want to go next after this journey down a musical memory lane.
CITIZEN have never been able to be contained into one idea of what their sound is, and that’s a huge part of their compelling career trajectory. Ever evolving approaches have seen CITIZEN metamorphose throughout each album cycle. Here on Halcyon Blues it feels as if CITIZEN are aiming to move forwards, but in order to do so, must consult all of these past paths. It may feel like a transitional piece at times, but even so, with emotionally wrought anthems and punchy hooks, the album sees some of their tightest writing yet, and opens an exciting door for where they might head next.
Rating: 7/10
Halcyon Blues is out now via Run For Cover Records.
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