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The voice recorder has been turned off, the photos taken, and the three core members of Toledo band Citizen are getting ready to disperse following their interview with Toledo City Paper. But the most interesting part of the session is still to come.
The guys have been asked to sign a new vinyl of the 10th anniversary version of their second album “Everybody Is Going To Heaven,” and they are blown away when presented with the record. None of the members has seen what the store version of the album artwork looks like. “Wow, that’s turned out really good,” said Citizen singer Mat Kerekes.
“Nice!” exclaimed bassist Eric Hamm.
“Those pictures turned out amazing,” said lead guitarist Nick Hamm, brother to Eric.
Misunderstood masterpiece
The trio (Citizen drummer Ben Russin currently lives in Pennsylvania, and rhythm guitarist Mason Mercer lives in Los Angeles) assembled at Kava Culture on Talmadge to discuss the legacy of their sophomore album “Everybody Is Going To Heaven,” which started off as a mostly derided effort. Citizen debuted in 2009 when the band members were still in high school, and in 2011 they released their hard-hitting debut album “Youth” on Run For Cover Records, which reached international attention from both music fans and critics, who
applauded the band’s gritty Midwest brand of post-punk rock.
With the release of “Everybody Is Going to Heaven” in 2015, many Citizen fans were perplexed by the band’s expanded, lush, almost shoegaze-styled sound. Critics were sharply divided as well.
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But the funny thing about time is that it often forces reappraisals of once-derided art. Today, many Citizen fans now call “Everybody Is Going to Heaven” the
band’s best album.
“We got so many people asking for a 10-year anniversary album that we just decided to do it,” said Kerekes. “It’s taken a while for people to see what we were actually doing with (“Everybody Is Going To Heaven”). When (the album) came out, it was so different from our first album. There were some early believers, but I think a lot of people are reassessing it and starting to identify with it a little more,” said Kerekes.
‘A breath of fresh air’
Nick Hamm said the band went into a richer, more complex sound following the success of their first album, “Youth” out of fear of musical boredom and stagnation.
“We just weren’t comfortable with our musical station at the time,” said Nick. “We were seeking something more, and we were burned out with some of the music that was happening around us. We wanted to capture our own voice, and up to that point, we were searching for that. (“Everybody Is Going to Heaven”) was something that felt special and like a breath of fresh air.”
Citizen isn’t touring in support of the anniversary reissue of “Everybody Is Going to Heaven,” but the band recently played a triumphant show up in Detroit at the Russell Industrial Center, which celebrated the album. The band is also working—albeit slowly—on a new record.
“It’s really gratifying how this album is now considered our best one,” said Kerekes. “That’s a really special feeling.”
The 10th anniversary edition of Citizen’s “Everybody Is Going to Heaven” is now in music stores everywhere.
