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PO :: Citizen - Life in Your Glass World (out March 26 2021)


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When it came time to make Life In Your Glass World, Citizen’s need to continue moving forward creatively went hand in hand with their desire to be fully in control of their creative destiny. Nick Hamm explains: “I don’t have a lot of regret but there have definitely been times when we felt powerless during the band’s existence. This time we really owned every part of the process. It’s easy to feel like you’re on autopilot when you’re in a band, but that’s not a good place to be this far into our existence. We consciously knew we wanted to break free.”

For Citizen that meant taking the entire album-making process home to Toledo (the Glass City) and creating everything in-house. Kerekes built a home studio in his garage, a project that was as empowering as it was practical. “It’s super easy and convenient,” he says. “But I also felt like building the studio was a way to prove we don’t need anything but ourselves.” Hamm adds, “This is the first self-sufficient Citizen record. There was no pressure at all and moving at our own pace allowed the songs to be a little more fleshed out.” The looser recording process also afforded the band time to focus on each song’s individual mood, making their signature blend of aggression and melody all the more pronounced, and even capturing appealing imperfections. The result is an album that represents the members’ vision in its purest form, something that feels distinctly Citizen while also marking the start of a fresh chapter.

One of the most immediately striking elements of the direction on Life In Your Glass World is the band’s attention to rhythm. Many of the songs feature undeniably danceable beats and sharp, groove-laden guitar lines, which give both the barnburners and the brooding atmospheric tracks a pulsating heart. “When you write songs the same way for X amount of years, you start to want to try something new,” Kerekes says. “These songs were mostly built from drums and bass first, which was different for us. I’d start with a completely different beat every time to get a certain energy.” The band’s desire to assert themselves is palpable both in the music and Kerekes’ lyrics, mirroring not only their creative frustrations but also a long year of personal upheavals. “There’s a lot of anger in these songs and we wanted the music to communicate that,” Hamm says. “I think a lot of people expect bands to slow down or chill out when they get to where we are, but we consciously didn’t want to do that.”

The opening one-two punch of “Death Dance Approximately” and “I Want To Kill You” exemplifies the acerbic-yet-buoyant feel of Life In Your Glass World, and the latter sums up the album’s defiant themes. Kerekes puts it plainly: “Sometimes you feel like you’re being used. A lot of the lyrics are liberating, they’re reclaiming control.” The band wastes no time in showing their range, pivoting to the melancholy haze of “Blue Sunday” and the bounce of “Thin Air,” which meditate on the struggle to invest so much in something only to be let down and retreat inside oneself instead. Elsewhere tracks like “Call Your Bluff” and “Black and Red” showcase Citizen’s knack for big choruses, while “Pedestal” features towering drums and a distorted bass line that’s as malevolent sounding as Kerekes’ vitriolic words. “Fight Beat,” with its tense mix of otherworldly menace and memorable hooks, takes the band’s rhythmic-centric writing to its furthest point yet; lyrically, the song grapples with the realization that one has passed a point of no return, a sentiment that permeates the attitude of Life In Your Glass World. “This isn’t a baby step,” Hamm says. “It’s exactly what we want to do.”

Much of Life In Your Glass World deals with the bleak and challenging aspects of being human, and the album often feels like an exorcism of pent up negative feelings. But those feelings give way to a sense of hope with the closing track “Edge of The World.” Interweaving guitars rise around Kerekes’ voice as he considers past pain with the kind of clarity that can only come from time and distance—and finds promise in looking towards the future. The song builds to a soaring finale as the clouds part and Kerekes declares, “At the end of the day there was beauty in tragedy.” It’s one last turn, the kind of affirmation that makes you reexamine everything you just heard with a newfound perspective. It’s a fitting conclusion for Life In Your Glass World – borne of the confidence gained through years of trials, tribulations, and self reflection – and one that asserts that Citizen’s true identity is rooted in the raw energy of constant evolution.” 


source

https://digital.terrorbird.com/artists/citizen

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5 hours ago, biodigitaljazz said:

lmao why did you bold "Every month" and not "UNTIL THE RELEASE" of the album? You guys will pick a fight about anything, unfollowing topic.

Just realized you were speaking towards me here. That was quoted directly from RFC website, I didn’t bold anything. The wording on the listing plus the combined confusing graphic made it seem like it was more than just a Q1 thing.

 

it’s drops in correlation with both single drops, one with the record release, and then one after in April to finish it off.  So in essence it’s a exclusive “deluxe” variant + cd + flexi + 7” + shirt + enamel pin (basically a deluxe package)  + a Q1 Subscription.  
 

imo, that’s worth $160. Free shipping was a nice touch as well. 

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I really dig the song, feels fresh and is very catchy. The dancy drums make me think of Foals and the whole UK indie scene from like 10 years ago.

I'm torn between normal pre-orders and the ciz society sub, as an international buyer i gotta admit that "one big shipment" instead of a couple up until the release takes away the magic a bit, plus the price being like 60$ more expensive :( 

Edited by bastianislost
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Also available on bandcamp, with a mockup of the cloudy sky blue swirl /1000, wasn't quite what I expected 

https://citizenmi.bandcamp.com/album/life-in-your-glass-world

Blue Green Galaxy Swirl /3000 Mockup shows a similar story in their preorder bundle mockup

https://www.runforcoverrecords.com/products/690517-citizen-shirt-sweatshirt-bundle

Edited by jkteddy77
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7 minutes ago, jkteddy77 said:

Also available on bandcamp, with a mockup of the cloudy sky blue swirl /1000, wasn't quite what I expected 

https://citizenmi.bandcamp.com/album/life-in-your-glass-world

That looks like product photo, not mock-up. So will look exactly like that.  I actually expected a light baby blue and don’t mind this at all. Goes beautifully with the cover art. 

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