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A spitting return to top flight of modern rock, Citizen release Halcyon Blues. The sixth record sees the Ohio powerhouse at their most mature and equally, at their most satisfying.

A remarkable cornerstone in emo/post-hardcore, Citizen have always just been one of those bands you grow up with. Whether it’s the stark and timeless Youth in 2013, or the ambitious scope of 2017’s As You Please, even to the ’90s grunge of Everybody Is Going to Heaven in 2015, Citizen have been blitzing out soundtracks for the lost and heartbroken for over a decade now. But with a refusal to stay under one sound, every album feels like a deliberate shift rather than a mere repeat of what worked well last. Simply put, the band do not allow to think in moments or months, but rather, embracing the now and pushing their musicality just that one step further. And it continues – with somewhere always new to go.

Perfecting the push and pull of quiet ballads and full-throttle rock blowouts, Citizen embrace both the new and old with a deeply matured depth to their songwriting. Satisfying fans of new and old, Halcyon Blues has that emotional toil of previous projects but also the anthemic grandeur we heard most recently on 2023’s Calling the Dogs, stripping back to a more guitar-driven tact.

But there’s certainly more to unravel here than 2023’s album, at least in the case of those most sincere moments plastered on the record. It may be demonstrating a band that is all grown up, but it’s also showing their songwriting maturing as each year passes. Whether that be on the pining pull of Either Way or the indie-punk blemishing of closer Anne, the quiet is too far away from the loud.

The record itself sets off at blistering pace but still manages to retain that raw hum that resonates, certainly from vocalist Mat Kerekes. Good Fortune sets the standard, as does its follow-up I Can See You From Here, a vulnerable and open working out, ever so reminiscent of a more youthful Citizen. The self-titled track is a devastating play-by of a dying relationship as the two people slowly become strangers in one another’s company. An album marking heartbreak, is spearheaded by lead powerhouse Highs and Lows, a track that certainly turns back the clock. Explosive, loud and plenty of emotion to knock the walls down, it wraps up the project with a delightfully feathered bow of rambunctious spirit and punk angst.

A lot of things can be said about Citizen. But what isn’t being said is how this band manage to stay on top of their game – despite evidently having their glory days behind them. But just as Mr Buckley once said, it’s never over.