Citizen, the iconic rock powerhouse hailing from Toledo, Ohio, recently announced their new album, Halcyon Blues, and shared the title track. The album will be released on August 7 via Run For Cover Records and will show fans the dynamic confidence and growth in sound that nearly two decades of music-making has given them. Halcyon Blues shows what fans already know: Citizen is one of the greatest modern rock bands to exist, and they’re at a high point of their career.
“Halcyon Blues” is the second release off this album following the lead single “Highs and Lows,” which garnered immediate praise from both fans and critics including Stereogum (No. 1 best new songs of the week), Consequence (best new songs of the week), BrooklynVegan (favorite songs of the week), VICE (songs you need to hear), The Guardian (F&M Playlist) and more. “Highs and Lows” prescribed fans a high dose of the gritty alternative-rock sound that Citizen is known for. “Halcyon Blues” leans into the lush side of the band, cuts into the emotive indie that unfurls from the verses to the chorus, and showcases the reach of Citizen’s songwriting.
Vocalist Mat Kerekes shed some light on the song’s lyrics, saying, “It’s about a silent disconnect between two people. You both know you’re no longer meant to be in each other’s lives, but instead of accepting it, you sit in the space between and watch one another become strangers in real time.”
Pre-order Halcyon Blues HERE
Listen to ‘Halcyon Blues’ on streaming services here and watch the video on YouTube below.
Citizen has been committed to following their own path throughout their entire career, and after 17 years of creative risk, they still feel like underdogs who’ve never quite fit the mold. The band’s unlikely rise as a group of high schoolers from Toledo to long-standing headliners and a staple in the emo soundscape has everything to do with their commitment to authenticity and their ever-changing sound. Halcyon Blues combines elements of garage indie, post-hardcore, alternative, and emo sounds they’ve tried on throughout their career. This album is a culmination of their entire catalog that is bound to have fans hanging onto every word and every rhythm.
Recorded by Kerekes, then mixed by Tom Lorde-Alge (U2, Weezer, Blink182), Halcyon Blues conjures the raw ferocity of their early work while embracing the great scope and unbelievable hooks of more recent albums. Citizen’s focus and determination have allowed them a steady growth as a band, and have allowed fans to grow with them. “A lot of bands try to do anything they can to be the hottest thing of the moment, and we’ve just never operated like that,” says guitarist Nick Hamm. “We don’t think in moments, or months, or record cycles. Some bands end up getting sick of whatever walls they exist in, but I see Citizen as this long-term creative project where there’s always somewhere new to go, and that’s kept me exhilarated through all these years. And we’ve trusted that people who like our band will want to come along. A lot of people grew with us, and we’re really thankful for that.”
Sharing Halycon Blues, the band will embark on a massive run of worldwide dates. They’ll start in North America with support from Anxious, Hotline TNT, Rocket, and Cryogeyser, followed by the United Kingdom and Europe with Modern Color, and thistle., then Australia with Drug Church. See full itinerary below.
Citizen – 2026 UK tour dates
Tickets are available here
24th Oct – Earth Hall, London, UK ^
25th Oct – Stylus, Leeds, UK ^
27th Oct – TV Studio, Glasgow, UK ^
28th Oct – Academy 2, Manchester, UK ^
29th Oct – The Prospect Building, Bristol, UK ^
^ support from Modern Color, thistle.
Citizen – Halcyon Blues tracklist:
1. Good Fortune
2. I Can See You From Here
3. Halcyon Blues
4. Is It In My Brain
5. Always The Last One to Leave
6. Either Way
7. Matador
8. Ether
9. Smooth Talker
10. Highs and Lows
11. Anne
Citizen: Website | Facebook |
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