Citizens!
OriginLondon, England
GenresIndie rock, synthpop, indie pop, alternative dance, indietronica
Years active2010–present
LabelsKitsuné
MembersTom Burke
Thom Rhoades
Lawrence Diamond
Mike Evans
Past membersMartyn Richmond
Websitewww.citizenscitizens.com

Citizens! are an English indie rock band from London, formed in the summer of 2010. The band consists of Tom Burke (vocals), Thom Rhoades (guitar), Martyn Richmond (bass), Lawrence Diamond (keyboards) and Mike Evans (drums). Their debut album Here We Are was released by Kitsuné on 28 May 2012 in the UK / Europe[1] and on 9 October 2012 in North America.[2]

Lawrence James Diamond is the son of singer/songwriter Jim Diamond.

History

Formation

The band formed in the summer of 2010, when Mike, Tom and Lawrence, previously of Official Secrets Act, sat together at a rather disappointing house party, listening to music. The three of them met Martyn through a mutual friend, and Thom later, after an old friend of the band suggested him to them. The reason they started the band was to make "amazing, imaginative pop music".[3] Their bold statement about pop music is that "pop is not a dirty word, it’s a holy one!"[4]

They named the band after a headline on a Gotham City newspaper in a Batman comic[5] and they like to think of it as "a call to arms, a statement, a mark in the sand".[4]

Lead guitarist Thom Rhoades is also a world renowned Carp angler, finishing as runner up in the 2013 Dorset Carp Angling Championships.

2011-12: Here We Are

In early 2011, the band signed to French independent record label Kitsuné. In Spring that year they recorded their debut album Here We Are in Scotland with Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand, who asked to produce their record after hearing one of the band’s early demos.[6] Kapranos told the NME that "there are only three or four bands a decade that really matter. Citizens! sound like one of them to me. They do something you haven't heard before, yet you feel they've always been in your life. They sound fresh because they aren't followers - they have the balls to do something new and it sounds good."[7]

Three singles were issued from the album: True Romance, Reptile and Caroline. An EP of these tracks was released prior to the release of the album in the US. Acts such as Goldroom,[8] White Shadow, Gildas Loaëc[9] and Gigamesh[10] have all remixed their tracks.

Here We Are received generally favourable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 69, based on 7 reviews.[11] Les Inrocks placed True Romance at number ten on its 100 Best Songs of 2012 list.[12]

The band first began touring the UK and Europe in August 2011.[13] They have toured with The Rapture (2011), The Maccabees, Spiritualized and Two Door Cinema Club (2012).

2013 – present: Second Album European Soul

After completing an extensive world tour including Australia, Asia, South and North America, the band confirmed on Twitter in April 2013 that they were working on their second studio album.[14] Their second album is titled European Soul and released officially on 13 April 2015. Its launch will be supported by a two-month-long European Tour. American dates have yet to be announced.[15]

Awards and nominations

In November 2012 Citizens! were nominated for the "New Blood Award" for Best New Band by Artrocker.[16]

The video for True Romance directed by We Are From L.A. won a number of awards, including the 2013 Fubiz Award for Best Music Video.[17]

Discography

Albums

Year Title
2012 Here We Are
  • Released: 28 May 2012 (UK/EU), 9 October 2012 (US)
  • Format: CD, LP and Digital Download
2015 European Soul
  • Released: 13 April 2015
  • Format: CD, LP and Digital Download

EPs

Year Title
2012 Caroline EP
  • Released: 29 May 2012
  • Format: Digital Download
  • Released in US Only

Singles

Year Title
2011 True Romance
  • Format: 7", Digital Download
  • Released: 19 December 2011
2012 Reptile
  • Format: 7", Digital Download
  • Released: 16 April 2012
2012 Caroline
  • Format: Digital Download
  • Released: 2 July 2012

Other appearances

  • Kitsuné Maison, Vol. 11: The Indie-Dance Issue (2011)[18]
  • Gildas Kitsuné Club Night Mix #2 (2011)[19]
  • Gildas Kitsuné Club Night Mix #3 (2011)[20]
  • Gildas & Jerry Kitsuné Soleil Mix (2012)[21]
  • Kitsuné Maison Compilation 14: The 10th Anniversary Issue (2012)[22]

References

  1. ↑ "Citizens! debut album "Here we are" announcement". Kitsuné Journal. Archived from the original on 11 June 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  2. ↑ "Citizens! Here we are album". Homeless Tracks. Archived from the original on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  3. ↑ "Interview: Citizens!". Hooting and howling Magazine. Archived from the original on 25 January 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  4. 1 2 "Citizens!". Kitsuné Journal. Archived from the original on 25 November 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  5. ↑ "Radar band of the week no:81 - Citizens!". NME. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  6. ↑ "Citizens! - Here we are". Rave Magazine. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  7. ↑ "Band Crush - Franz Ferdinand on Citizens!". NME. Archived from the original on 19 April 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  8. ↑ "Citizens! - Reptile (Goldroom Remix)". Binary Entertainment. Archived from the original on 12 June 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  9. ↑ "Citizens! 'True Romance' (Gildas Kitsuné Club Night Remix)". Harder Blogger Faster. 25 September 2012. Archived from the original on 21 March 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  10. ↑ "Kitsuné Maison 14 - Citizens! "True Romance" (Gigamesh Remix)". Kitsuné Journal. Archived from the original on 9 November 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  11. ↑ "Here We Are Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 26 August 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  12. ↑ "Nos 100 meilleures chansons de 2012: le top dans l'ordre". Les Inrocks. Archived from the original on 31 December 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  13. ↑ "Citizens! Biography". All Music. Archived from the original on 12 December 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  14. ↑ "CITIZENS! (GoCitizens) on Twitter". Twitter. Archived from the original on 5 September 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
  15. ↑ http://www.citizenscitizens.com Archived 2 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine, 2 April 2015
  16. ↑ "Vote for the new blood award". Artrocker. Archived from the original on 20 November 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  17. ↑ "Winners Music Video 2013 Fubiz Awards 2013". Fubiz. Archived from the original on 9 June 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  18. ↑ "Kitsuné Maison, Vol. 11: The Indie-Dance Issue Review". All Music. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  19. ↑ "Gildas Kitsuné Club Night Mix #2". Beatport. Archived from the original on 20 December 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  20. ↑ "Gildas Kitsuné Club Night Mix #3". Kitsuné Journal. Archived from the original on 28 November 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  21. ↑ "Gildas & Jerry Kitsuné Soleil Mix". Kitsuné Journal. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  22. ↑ "Kitsuné Maison Compilation 14: The Tenth Anniversary Issue Album Review". Contact Music. 8 October 2012. Archived from the original on 28 August 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
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