You don’t expect such earnest lyrics with such riff-driven indie. But Citizen singer Mat Kerekes very candidly says: “I grew up around a narcissistic parent and absorbed a lot of that behaviour over time, negatively affecting people close to me. ‘If You’re Lonely’ is about recognising that, growing from it, and becoming a reliable shoulder to lean on.” That creates a song that stings like the proverbial bee and floats like proverbial MTV2 ’00s band.
Across 11 tracks, “Calling The Dogs” explores a range of moods, styles and themes with each song as memorable as the last. The album’s first single, “If You’re Lonely,” is the kind of upbeat singalong anthem fans should expect to belt out at shows for years to come. Tracks like “Hyper Trophy” and “Can’t Take It Slow” show that Citizen can still put out unforgettable melodies over dance-worthy rhythms, while others (like “When I Let You Down”) lean more into timeless classics bordering on garage rock. As a whole, it’s as intense and energetic of an experience as the band has ever released.
“I really wanted to hone in on how it would feel to play the songs live while writing “Calling The Dogs,” Kerekes says. “The songs on the last record are so much fun to play live, I wanted to make sure that this one would still invoke the same kind of emotion and crowd reaction. I kept asking myself ‘Will this be exciting to see live? How will the energy be?’ more than I ever have before.”
“If You’re Lonely” by Citizen from their new album ‘Calling the Dogs’, available October 6th, 2023 on Run For Cover Records.
The Fat Angel Sings 