ALBUM REVIEW: "As You Please" by Citizen

As one of the legion of post Brand New pop punk bands, Citizen have begun to follow in the path of their successful predecessors, moving further away from their roots into something moodier and more atmospheric. Citizen have never done it more me for the most part; not because they were particularly bad by any stretch, but simply because there wasn't much in the way of defining features to separate them from the rest of the scene. As You Please sees Citizen take a huge step away from being a generic emo/pop punk group, which if you're drawing parallels with obvious influence Brand New falls in line with the transition from Your Favourite Weapon to Deja Entendu and The Devil & God Are Raging Inside Me. This is by no means either of those records' equal - there are definite lulls back into the well worn routs they and every other band have treaded before - but it is a positive step outwards for the band. The strongest element of this album is its confidence in asking you to lean in, rather than yelling at you from where you are. Too often we are given exercises in proving a band's worth, which upon closer inspection are so taken with being as strong and bold as possible that there is almost nothing clinging to the weary skeleton used by so many other bands. On As You Please Citizen are confident to let the music, atmosphere and mood speak for itself without trying to prove its worth with flashy but predictable genre tropes. A promising step forwards for a band I am now paying attention to.

Favourite Tracks: In The Middle Of It All, Medicine and Control

Least Favourite Track: You Are A Star

Rating: 6/10

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