Somewhere Between Leaving finds Citizen Smith (cool name by the way) equidistant between the world of the singer songwriter and that of the fuller band, bridging the song-led sound and a broader sonic palette. It’s the best of both worlds, if you ask me, one where the additional players never quash the more spacious arrangement of the core song; instead, using their instruments largely to underline and finesse, further define and expand the original sound.
Such is their adherence to the more delicate and deft way of doing things, they open with the almost folk-esque “Memories,” accordion-soaked and full of chiming guitars, it is a reminder that you don’t need noise and velocity to make an impact, even when kicking off an album: understatement speaks volumes!
You can see exactly why “Superman” was a recent single, a slice of perfect pop, poised and poignant, “Avant-Gardening” is beautiful in its blend of minimalism and small sonic explosions and the slightly surreal, and late-Beatles lyrical references, and by contrast, the skillful attack of shimmering guitar riffs and early R.E.M ornate off-beat-ness proves that they are just as at home plying us with vintage power-pop sounds.
Citizen Smith has mastered the blending of quality and quirk with the right amount of power, bringing a nostalgic vibe into the modern age and reminding us just how great pop used to be. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a resurgence of well-written, infectious, dreamy and driving pop, and if that does happen, you will know who to thank for helping make it happen. And doing so in no small way.
