Citizen - "Everybody Is Going To Heaven"

While I write this, I'm still waiting for my copy of Youth to come in from abroad. It must've been ordered over a year ago. Too caught up in it to shop at their last show at the studio, Citizen have enhanced their sound a bit since their last release to shower us with another record full of gems and sing alongs. With Silo being released as its own 7" (it is absent here, don't worry - I hate when bands release a single and then it's released as one of 10 news songs on the next album - just make it a 9 song release and leave the song out of it!), you can almost hear their evolution in between the debut and Everybody... Mat's voice hasn't shifted much here, but the screaming that once layered his boyish coo is no longer present. This reminds me of what happened to Thursday after Full Collapse. Unity, identity, and force now polish every song. They sort of go Code Orange on "Stain" and this is where we have a breakthrough. The bridge almost sounds like something on PTW's You Come Before You. It's obvious they're now confident in how the crowd will feel about their melodies and can pinpoint their reaction. Citizen are unique in that they roar through their sets with intensity all the while maintaining a polished charm about their innocence. This is also very evident in their live show which often resembles a Turnstile throwdown. The outfit push another great collection of infectious hymns that will make you go back for more, and it's great to see them not letting their success and their growth as people impact their product. For those of you new to the band, start with Youth then come back here for more. You wouldn't necessarily start with Pinkerton if someone wanted to be exposed to Weezer, eh? Not that this is Citizen's Pinkerton, because it's not, it totally follows a natural suit and makes logical sense as the bands next album in their catalogue. But if we were to compare it to its predecessor (which isn't fair at all) it definitely falls short in comparison to what should now be referred to as an excellent classic.