Will I Cry at this Show? Maybe. Previewing Citizen, Sorority Noise, and Great Grandpa at Neumos.

Courtesy of Citizen

Citizen is a band I’ve followed since my freshman year of high school. This was one of the bands that contributed to my transition from scene kid to pop-punk kid— not a surprising evolution. I feel like that gives an awful first impression of Citizen, and I really need to stop tarnishing credibility of bands by writing about my early music tastes. However, I promise since then the band has evolved and expanded their sound beyond depressing, angsty lyrics layered over grungy pop-punk (which is still pretty good in my opinion). This weekend on November 19th, I’ll be screaming along with my friends to Citizen, Sorority Noise, and Great Grandpa—  bands I truly love equally.

Citizen is a five-piece band with members from both Michigan and Ohio. Their first release was Young States (2011), which preceeded a signing to Run for Cover Records the following year. However, the band really took off when they released their first full-length LP Youth (2013). The album displayed a step forward, creating blends of melodic-emo, pop-punk, grunge, and post-hardcore. This is truly a sad boy album, which is a large part of its appeal. Lyrics like “I should have crashed the car the night I drove alone / Escape from August cold” and “I would love to feel alive again, but I’m not used to change,” quickly attracted outcasted and angsty youth (haha get it? youth). Ultimately, the album popularized the band a fairly great extent, putting them among the likes of bands like Title Fight, Basement, and Daylight (now called Superheaven).

Since Youth, Citizen has released two more albums—Everybody Is Going to Heaven and As You Please. Everybody Is Going to Heaven was a pretty drastic change from their original work, saturating their sound with a shoegaze, dead-tone vibe. This seems to be a pattern for similar bands. I guess you either die a pop-punk band or live to become the indie shoegaze project. Because of this shift, fans became critical, including myself. However, I do appreciate when a band steps out of its comfort zone and takes risks, so I respect the album. As You Please was released just last month, and also displays more risk from the band. This album, however, seems more polished and melodic—not lost in a daze. As You Please is continuing to grow on me as I appreciate the ambitious, yet well-done, elements of the album.

Joining Citizen is four-piece Connecticut band Sorority Noise. Sorority Noise is similar in blending emo, pop-punk, and indie rock, but they avoid the heavier grunge elements Citizen incorporates. The band formed in 2014 under vocalist and songwriter Cam Boucher, who is really the driving force behind Sorority Noise. Since they were formed, the band has switched between labels including Top Shelf Records, Broken World Media, and are currently signed to Triple Crown Records. I fell in love with their debut album Forgettable, which I found impressive for a new band. The album is delightfully paradoxical, shifting between dark and light, humor and pain. This is a defining characteristic they have carried on as a band. Their melodic-punk and emo-pop sounds supported by skillful lyricism convey honesty and authenticity in feeling.

Their following album, Joy Departed (2015), expanded upon their best elements, and developed a message of hope in overcoming the darkness we can possess as people. Their sound became more fine-tuned and optimistically quirky. Although the album contains themes of addiction and depression, Boucher takes a celebratory twist with exclamations like, “I stopped wishing I was dead / Learned to love myself before anyone else / Became more than just a burden.” Another personal stand out in their discography is EP It Kindly Stopped for Me, released in April of last year. This EP seems to be an outlet for Boucher to express the emotions coming with the loss he has experienced, focusing mostly on suicides. I will never forget hearing the track “Fource” for the first time in my car, struck by the vulnerability of Boucher’s spoken word recorded on a walk through a forest. Sorority Noise has become a very vocal advocate for mental health, something that I greatly admire.

Last but not least is Seattle’s very own Great Grandpa! I cannot express enough excitement about them being on this tour! This summer, they released their debut album Plastic Cough on Double Double Whammy Records, which has boosted them into incredibly deserved success. Recently, Stereogum included them in their “40 Best New Bands of 2017.” Plastic Cough is youthful, creative, and layered, sounding like something you probably have not heard before. Sweet angel vocalist Alex Menne (who I am lucky to call a friend of mine) has a piercing, unique voice that shifts from little yelps to sweet croons. I especially love the versatility of the album, jumping from slight grungy harshness to fun pop influence. If you haven’t listened to this album, you’re definitely missing out; it was a summer essential of mine.

If you’re trying to come rock out with me, tickets are available here. The show is happening November 19th at Neumos with doors at 6:30 PM. This event is all ages.



JULIA SCHWAB | Great Grandpa Hype Man | KXSU Music Reporter

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