Citizen are set to release new album As You Please on 6th October. As You Please is a dark brooding album which is both introspective and aware of what’s going on elsewhere. The album approaches simple personal issues as well much larger social issues using meaningful metaphorical lyrics. Compared to its predecessors the album is more expansive and overall done at a much higher quality.
Albums of this ilk often become monotonous and one paced. This is far from the case on As You Please, due to the sheer complexity of the song writing. The expansive nature of this record provides each song with its own unique style whilst ensuring the album can still be listened to as a body of work. Songs such as title track As You Please and Discrete Routine are examples of the band showcasing their slower calmer stylings, whereas Fever days and Medicine present the faster more in your face stylings of the band.
This aggression and anger that underlies so much of this album is bought to the forefront in the vocals of the aforementioned songs. The vocals in these songs get louder and heavier in parts making you, the listener, want to scream the lyrics back at the album.
When going in deeper on this record, it’s the lyrics which really come to the forefront. The lyrics offer an insight into how the band views the world they live in. World is perhaps the greatest example of this. Reading through the lyrics they read with a dark poetic beauty. World like a lot of this album discusses the faceless nature of life. The lyrics in Control and I Forgive No One only extend to the cathartic nature of this album.
In a year that has provided brilliant introspective rock albums from Can’t Swim and Sorority Noise, As You Please easily holds its own. From the meaningful lyrics to the expansive musicianship, this is easily Citizen’s best work to date. The album changes with each listen, whether it be the subtle changes in the musical elements, or the lyrical nuances that make this album. As You Please gets better with every listen. This is a more mature record from Citizen that sees them achieve the potential that so many saw on their previous pieces of work.