Long Read // ‘Calling The Dogs’ is yet another exciting step for Citizen
Since forming nearly fifteen years ago, American rock outfit Citizen have become a familiar voice of raw, genre-bending anthems. The band largely grew out of roots planted in emo/grunge, but the dynamics of their gritty sound have become more nuanced with every release. As Citizen geared up to release their fifth studio album ‘Calling The Dogs’, frontman Mat Kerekes joined me for a chat about the new record, ten years of Citizen’s debut, and tour life.
With release day right around the corner, I wanted to know how Kerekes was feeling about the album coming out. Naturally, sharing ‘Calling The Dogs’ with the world in full stirs excitement; but it also came as a relief for Kerekes, who found the lead-up to be rather cumbersome. “I hate the rollout process, and I’m glad it’s over,” he admitted, but this is not to say that the period was void of anticipation.
Kerekes proceeded to elaborate on his feelings about the singles. “I was really excited about ‘Hyper Trophy’. I mean, I’m excited about all of them. And putting out ‘If You’re Lonely’ and ‘When I Let You Down’, those are two kinds of songs that come from a little left field in the Citizen realm. That makes me a little bit nervous because I think people are really quick to form an opinion, you know? So, it went over well, thankfully, but I was just pretty nervous because it was just different. But that also keeps things exciting.”
Part of Citizen’s allure is their openness to experiment different influences in their music, and Kerekes acknowledged that ‘Calling The Dogs’ is a balance of both the new and the familiar – with the singles ultimately acting as bridges between previous releases. “At the end of the day, we’re the same people writing songs, and Citizen changes because our influences changes,” Kerekes explained. “We’re always listening to new music and discovering new things, and that’s just going to bleed into your writing naturally, right? But there are always songs that have a good hint of the previous iteration of Citizen, and a nice blend of the new.”
Straying away from the emo band persona, Kerekes has been inspired by fast, energetic music. “I think Citizen has historically been a pretty mid-tempo, sad band. But at this point in my life, I’m looking for something that’s going to get me kind of excited. You know, maybe I want to go for a run. It’s not that I don’t like slow, sad music anymore, but at this point in my life I’m just craving something else.”
Having touched on everything new and exciting for Citizen, it seemed like a good time to take a walk down memory lane. This summer marked ten years since their debut album ‘Youth’ was released, celebrated by an updated anniversary LP and a four-night US tour. Having just come away from such a milestone, I asked Kerekes what it was like to revisit that era. “It was awesome,” he replied promptly, “We love ‘Youth’, we love all our records, but ‘Youth’ was a special moment in our lives where everything changed when we released it.”
However, change didn’t mean instant stardom. From ‘Youth’, things were slow-burn for the band. “It was a slow change,” Kerekes continued. “We didn’t really notice it at the time, because when we released ‘Youth’, people didn’t like it that much, which is funny to think about. It got reviewed very poorly, and the shows we were playing were not all that great. The shows felt good, but not a lot of people were there for years. It has just slowly grown into this thing, and it was really cool to revisit it and have it be the biggest shows we’ve ever headlined. And it was really special.”
Change wasn’t just external, but it has also been central to Citizen learning how to work together as a band over the years. As their sound has evolved, so have they, and I was curious about any distinct differences that Kerekes has noticed from the start of their career to now. “When you’re eighteen, you have pride and ego. And we all did,” he began. “We would clash a lot; we would battle about little things as a ‘my way or the highway’ type thing. At this point, we all get along so well that we never argue or battle. And if that ends up happening, it’s over in the snap of a finger and nothing is dwelled on.”
“I think we’ve matured a lot as people and friends,” he continued. “That’s what we’ve always been, friends first before we were in a band. And we’re still friends. And I think that’s why Citizen is still lasting.” Knowing how to navigate creative differences is crucial, Kerekes appeared comfortable in the standard of communication within the band and a low-tension environment. With a tour following straight after the release of ‘Calling The Dogs’, I wondered what it was like to take on the road with some of his closest friends.
“So, I’m excited about the shows. I mean, I love playing shows, obviously it’s why you’re out there,” Kerekes replied. “But the thing I hate about touring is that I’m very much a homebody, I never leave my house unless I absolutely have to. I just like it, you know? And I don’t like sharing a space with people. It’s not that there’s issues caused by that, but I just like to have my own space.” Unfortunately, sharing spaces comes with messiness that Kerekes was not thrilled about, but he has a pretty good approach to thinking about it. “At the end of the day, you have to coexist and just kind of let it roll off your shoulder.”
Being a homebody certainly wouldn’t make touring an easy experience for Kerekes, so I asked him if he had any home comforts. “Oddly enough, if I bring a laptop on tour, I feel pretty good,” he replied. A man of routine, Kerekes sticks to a balanced structure of protein bars, working out, martial arts (Muay Thai being the sport of choice), and using his computer. Although the change of scenery will be an adjustment, Kerekes still looks forward to bringing the new tracks to the stage. “I think ‘Hyper Trophy’ is going to be really good. My favourite song on the record is called ‘Needs’, and I think it’s got a really cool bouncy, energetic but stripped back sound. It’s a cool energy that Citizen has never really done before. I think if we play that song, it’ll go over well.”
When asked about the meaning behind ‘Calling The Dogs’, Kerekes revealed that he wanted to leave it up to listener perception, but it does hold one core feature. “I think the new record is introspective, and I think you know it. As you get older, you have a new mindset, and you see things in a different way.” With Citizen’s history of sad songs, the artist took a moment to note that Citizen has a light-hearted side which they hope to convey to the audience. “At this point, we’re not too self-serious. We’re not like vampires just sitting in the dark and being sad,” Kerekes began. “And I think that’s the impression a lot of people get. We’re idiots, and we’re goofy, and I think the tone of the new Citizen record doesn’t take itself too seriously. It reflects our personality a bit truer to us.”
In terms of how the album is received, Citizen has often received mixed feedback, and Kerekes has learned to be indifferent to opinions. For ‘Calling The Dogs’, he shared one simple hope. “I don’t really care how we’re labelled, and I don’t care who our fan base is. I don’t care about anything,” he explained, “I just care that people support us.”
In a message to Citizen fans, Kerekes expressed his appreciation for a supportive base that has been willing to grow with them. “I feel like I’ve grown up with all these people in a weird way, and I think it’s a really cool, strange thing I’m very fortunate and I think it’s awesome, and I want to thank those people.” For new listeners, Kerekes offered a welcoming hello. As a final word of wisdom, Kerekes advocated for daily ten-minute walks, a well-rounded piece of advice and a wholesome end to an insightful conversation. ‘Calling The Dogs’ is yet another exciting step for Citizen, leaving listeners new and old with a sense of wonder about where it will take the band next.
Feature by Kayla Sandiford
