Album Review: Citizens! - Here We Are

Here We Are is a fitting name for the debut album from Citizens!. It embodies exactly what stance the band has made to the world so far – 'we are here and you better know it' – and is an interesting, light-hearted pop album.

Opener True Romance sounds like a super cute, super catchy pop song thanks to the simple keyboard jingle in the background and singer Tom Burke's youthful voice. The lyrics to the song are slightly darker, providing the track with a little more depth and showing that Citizens! are capable of more than simple pop songs. Second single Reptile is a standout on the album, with the boys creating a likeable and fun song out of a pretty non-descript topic. Simple in its design, it is because of this that it is so effective as a pop song.

The problem with this album is that a lot of the band's good ideas are all used early on, which makes the rest seem a lot like filler. There are definitely some decent songs remaining on the album, however none of them seem as tight and effortless as the first three. (I'm In Love With your) Girlfriend is a catchy tune, however the deep synth rhythm in the background makes it feel a bit congested at times. Similarly, the almost jungle-inspired drumbeat in the verses on Love You More seems to jar with the chorus.

This is a pretty impressive debut release from the London quintet. Whilst it does appear like the boys have lost their footing somewhat on the second half of the album, it doesn't detract from the fact that they know exactly what it takes to make fun, enjoyable music – and the couple of highlights within Here We Are should be applauded.