Citizen
Big Mouth
Run For Cover
Emo alt-rockers Citizen have blessed us with an unexpected new release. Big Mouth is the group’s first single since the 2018’s Open Your Heart, a track that very much followed in the footsteps of its full-length ancestors As You Please and Everybody Is Going to Heaven. The band has carved themselves a unique sound within the alternative soundscape. Matt Kerekes’ gritty and tonally diverse vocals are instantly recognisable in the over-saturated genre, and the steady evolution of the five-piece has been clear. But Big Mouth is by far the biggest experiment and deviation from the band’s previous works. With a dancey drum groove and a slow-moving, seductive bass hook, the band take us on a different journey.
The track proves Citizen’s capabilities for growth as they dip into new territory, yet manage to completely make it their own. Citizen’s production has always been dirty, the music raw, and the lyricism dark and twisted. Kerekes draws us in and then screams for us to leave, equally enticing and frightening. It’s a blend the band has perfected, and one they’ve carried through despite the difference in style. The dynamics are jarring, an expected technique that the group never fail to execute deliciously.
Big Mouth is both heavy and grimy, charming and off-putting all at once. Though unlike previous offerings, Big Mouth makes you move. It has a disorienting feel that wraps you up and sets you loose, allowing you to explore for yourself. Blurry and muddled, the threatening lyricism glides menacingly through your blood. Big Mouth is an exciting taste of what the future may hold, and a comforting reminder that Citizen can change direction without getting lost.
CAITLIN NORRIS
