Citizens! • Neu • DIY Magazine

“We want to reclaim pop”

is a bold statement, one not worth throwing about aimlessly with no genuine feeling. Thankfully, Citizens! are a band with obvious ambition. Their debut single, ‘True Romance’, set for release on December 19th with the reputable Kitsuné, is the beginning of an unearthing of remarkable talent. The saccharine vocals and irrestitable hooks - the essential ingredients of good pop - are all there, yet there’s an extra little something in there too. Perhaps it’s the ambition, perhaps it’s something that’ll show its face in the long run. Either way, DIY caught up with the band to talk about elaborate wedding dances and the group’s aim of making every one of their records a Greatest Hits.

How did you come to being signed by Kitsuné? How long has this debut single been in the making?
Gildas [Kitsune head] heard just a couple of demos and caught the Eurostar straight over to try to sign us. He had great shoes. We held out a while and had a bunch of free dinners with other labels but, what can we say, Gildas just had the best shoes.

Could you tell us about your background? Have you had experience in other musical projects before Citizens!?
Plenty. Between us we’ve been failing miserably in an array of projects for as long as we can remember. Fingers crossed we got it right this time.

Do any current artists/past artists have a big impact on your own sound?
Martin Rev, Kanye West, David Lynch, Sisqo,

The video for the single is extraordinarily strange and in its own weird way, delightful to watch. Who came up with the idea to use this footage and how on Earth did you find it?!
The footage has been in the family for years. It’s actually my parents wedding video; that was their first dance.

How’s the debut album coming along? What can we expect? Something similar to ‘True Romance’ or drastically different?
We try to do something different with each song; to make the album sound like a greatest hits. We want to make one of the great British albums. We want to reclaim pop.

‘Girlfriend’ is available as a free download on Citizens.cz