Citizens
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Citizens

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"The Skinny - Review of Citizens EP"

Try Smiling, the debut EP from Glasgow trio Citizens -featuring Bronto Skylift's Iain Stewart on drums - is a manic mash-up of converging styles, veering between frenzied hardcore punk and almost prog-like instrumentals. Recorded with a rawness that keeps with the band's vigorous live performances, opener Don't Be Late announces itself in dirty style, luring you in with its initial strums before erupting into belly-busting screams. This hard pace is punctuated by the head-banging grooves and arpeggiated jams of Shitwhistler and the almost Primus-like instrumental plodding of Self-indulgent, before charging headlong into the battering-ram force of Melted. Understandably, the ambitious chops and changes may be a bit head-scratching for some, but these 13 minutes nevertheless make for an absorbing listen. - The Skinny


"The Skinny - Spoonful of Hardcore, article on Citizens"

As with any genre, the true characterisation of ‘hardcore’ is difficult to pin down, what with the emergence of copious subsets and fusions within each definition over time. Many artists highlight just how far hardcore punk has come since its North American birth; thicker, heavier, time signatures side-stepping from the beat. But melodic? Tuneful? Not always. It is in this regard that Glasgow’s Citizens are something of a rarity.

The three-piece, consisting of guitarist and vocalist Craig McIntyre, bassist and vocalist Owen Batchelor and newly acquired drummer Iain Stewart, came into fruition almost two years ago. “I find it very difficult to describe the band to people because I never wanted to sound exactly like anybody,” explains McIntyre. “We all really like bands like Jesus Lizard and Shellac but draw influence from weird stuff like folk, country, jazz and black metal. I always got bored playing standard stuff.”

Beginning to garner a big live reputation (and a loud one at that), Citizens are keen to shirk any presumptions usually associated with the heavier ilk. “I write most of the stuff on acoustic guitar because I am really interested in melody," says McIntyre. "And if it doesn't sound good played acoustically then it probably won't translate to electric.” It was, in fact, the wish to avoid predetermined notions about their sound which led Citizens to choose their moniker in the first place. “We just wanted something that would be give listeners no preconceptions about how we sound, and it seemed to fit."

This year has so far been a busy one for Citizens, playing shows across the UK, as well as recording and releasing their debut EP. Following a line-up shuffle at New Year, things were quiet until their introduction to Stewart by other local buzz-collectors United Fruit. “It just worked so well that we have managed quite a lot in such a short period of time,” McIntrye notes. The EP in question, Try Smiling, was recorded at Lofi Studios, and is available via Wolves Among Wolves, their co-operatively run label/promotions company. “I started putting on gigs with [friend] Phil Differ when we were quite young just because no one else would put our bands on. We got more and more involved and started bringing up bands from England and overseas, and decided to make it a legitimate project.”

Calling upon a CD Presents-esque ethic and the experience of their own tours, Citizens recognise the importance of connections and community in their pursuits. Citizens, it seems, are doing well in an environment where tight, idea-filled rock music is finding a hungry audience, working alongside commendable local promoters such as Unthank, This Is Our Battlefield, Predestination Records and Cold Dead Hands. With upcoming tours and intentions for a split release or album with Art For Blind Records, as well as plans with other musical outlets (each member is already in another band, with McIntyre and Batchelor recently taking on vocal duties in a new grind project), the rest of the year is set to be enviably busy, including opening for Lords in December, proving that, in a time where a ukulele seems to be a local band’s best friend, there are still some who have the capacity to be imposingly heavy and melodically adroit. - The Skinny


"The List - Exposure"

Blurring punk and hardcore ferocity with clever riffage and instrumental experimentation, Glasgow trio Citizens are a particularly proactive component in the city's evolving underground musical landscape, with it's members also currently involved in everything from promotion and DIY labels, to playing in other bands. Having already struck a chord with fellow musicians as well as like-minded gig-goers, the band have every intention on spreading the word and the noise to the far-reaches of the country. Recently, Guitarist/vocalist, Craig McIntyre was kind enough to share a few words on the ins and outs of the band so far.

So, how did Citizens originally come together?
My brother Neil and I started the band just over a year ago just jamming stuff in our bedroom. We wrote a bunch of songs then scrapped them, then wrote a bunch more and roped friends Owen and Ewan in to play with us. Since then Neil and Ewan both left due to University commitments. Owen (Batchelor) took up bass duties as well as vocals and more recently we acquired Iain (Stewart) from Bronto Skylift to play drums, and things have been working out really well so far. Neil came up with the name Citizens - we felt the name gave listeners no preconceptions of what we would sound like.

What would you consider to be your biggest influences/inspirations musically?
We all like a wide variety of stuff and we just play what comes naturally, and this is the sound we have arrived at. I guess generally a lot of late eighties/early nineties rock, punk, grunge and hardcore.

What do you enjoy most about playing live in Glasgow?
There's a lot of exciting things happening in Glasgow at the moment, plenty of venues and loads of great bands to play with. Promoters like Unthank, This Is Our Battlefield, Predestination and Wolf Among Wolves are helping to attract bands from all over the world to Glasgow, and support the local acts as well. Local bands I would recommend checking out include United Fruit, Jackie Onassis, Hey Vampires, Bronto Skylift, Jousting With Dracula and Arca Felix.

What are your plans for the coming months?
Right now we're booking a UK tour with Hey Vampires for the end of May/ start of June - we're just getting the last couple of dates finalised. We're also getting ready to record an EP 'Try Smiling' to be released at the end of May, by Wolf Among Wolves - a label I co-run with Phil Differ.

What would you hope, if anything, that people would take away from seeing you play live?
Just the same way I feel when a live band impresses me, that they would want to see us again. - The List


"The Scotsman - On The Radar"

In the pitfall-strewn realm of band nomenclature, Citizens is about as safe as it gets. It's on a par with Canada's Women, New York's Men and San Francisco's Girls in the non-descript stakes.

But then that's entirely the point.

"It's simple, unassuming, and gives people no preconceptions about us," explains singer/guitarist Craig McIntyre.

And it suits their music too. Citizens avoid things like subtlety, poetry and harmony; instead the Glasgow trio take a direct aim at your lugholes with maxed-out, clenched-fist post-hardcore rock. But before you indie fans go scurrying back to your Bon Iver LP, take heed: Citizens may rock hard, but they do so with inventiveness and guile.

Not convinced? Just listen to the disconnected interplay between guitar and bass on 'Shit Whistler', or the full-tilt, At the Drive-In style chopped-up rhythm of 'Melted'.


Sourced from the Under the Radar blog


Craig maintains that the last thing they are is straight-forward - "we're not quite anything, it's hard to place us" - and says that their influences range from "hardcore, indie, jazz and folk" to "black metal, doom, grind and good films".

Since January, Citizens (completed by Owen Batchelor on bass/vocals and Iain Stewart on drums) have ingratiated themselves with their native city's rock scene by adopting a simple gameplan: "We all enjoy playing music that's interesting for us to play, and that we would listen to ourselves."

The eagle-eyed among you may have picked up on at least one of the above names. Newest recruit Iain has been enjoying hype a-plenty as the pummelling sticks man with Bronto Skylift, while Owen has played bass with Jackie Onassis (the band, not the one-time First Lady).

While they may be well-kent faces on the local live scene, they have already gigged around the UK and aren't setting their horizons too close to home: "It's cool here, there's good bands and some good promoters but we enjoy going down south to play a lot too," Craig says.

True to the DIY ethos we're keen to shout about here on UtR, Citizens have already released an EP called Try Smiling (pictured, right) on their own Wolf Among Wolves label (available here), and Craig reveals that there's more where that came from: "Citizens will release something else either at the end of this year or start of next."

Whether you remember the name or not, there should be ample opportunity to apply for Citizen-ship in the next few months. - The Scotsman


Discography

Right now we have two self released EPs under our belts, with the help of indie labels in the UK.
We have also been played on Vic Galloway's Radio 1 show several times and played a live session on the show, as well as several Subcity radio shows.

Photos

Bio

I believe what sets us apart from other bands is that we don't sound quite like anyone. The mix of influences are subtly weaved into our songs making them sound different and interesting.The band was started by brothers Craig and Neil McIntyre, and the lineup was completed by drummer Ewan Macgill and vocalist Owen Batchelor. The idea was to play music influenced by what we all liked, which was predominantly heavy punk and hardcore music. However none of us are ever happy playing just one specific way and other influences began changing the sound. The songs became very melodic, but still retaining the harshness of the hardcore style.
We played around Scotland predominantly at first then went on our first small tour around the UK. Around this time there was some lineup changes and Owen moved onto bass duties, remaining vocalist as well. Dean Inglis became our new drummer completing the lineup. Since these changes we have self released two EPs, continued to play varying sizes of gigs all over the UK and continued to improve our songs and live show.