Review: Electric Citizen ‘EC4’

I can’t think of a better label for Electric Citizen than Heavy Psych Sounds. Since catching them live a decade or so ago touring with Orange Goblin, the band’s ‘heavy psych sound’ has been a constant throughout their substantial – and, at least in my view – consistently good career to date.

Three albums and thirteen years since forming in 2012, the Cincinnati-based rockers have signed up with Heavy Psych Sounds for EC4, the no-nonsense title of their fourth album. However, this one breaks a little with tradition by leaning into the ‘psych’ more than the ‘heavy’ so to speak.

There are still some rockers on there; Smokey and Lizard Brain both carry on with the tried and tested formula us longtime fans are used to – lo-fi production and retro Sabbathian guitar grooves with Laura Dolan’s acid-tinged melodies layered on top. For the most part though, it’s a more subdued affair on offer here, playing up to the band’s psychedelic rather than occult rock heritage.

You can see it in the cover art, too – Neil Krug, who worked on the band’s debut album, Sateen, returns for EC4, but his take here has got a very different vibe. While Sateen’s cover screams occult horror to me, this one has more of a Houses Of The Holy meets Red Kross’ Third Eye vibe – Warholesque as opposed to Hammeresque, even. And in a way, the music reflects that. 

The opening track, Mire, is rousing in its own way, Dolan’s vocals slinking across an almost exotic riff and Harmony organ combo, its chorus dramatic if not anthemic. Traveler’s Moon is one of many slower paced numbers on the album, vocals and guitar duelling perfectly as the song builds. Closing track, Flower Of Salt, is absolutely beautiful; almost Lennon-esque in its execution, awash with that Harmony organ again, treble-heavy acoustic guitar and Dolan’s melancholic vocals, drenched in reverb and subdued into the mix, but still at their very retro best.

EC4might be missing catchy hip-swingers like Sateen’s Magnetic Man or Higher Time’s Evil – and, if I’m honest, I may miss that a little. But while the pace is stripped back, the quality is still here – it’s just a quieter and more reflective take on a familiar formula.

In short, this is a record you might find yourself reaching for at the end as opposed to the start of the night, but you’ll be reaching for it all the same.

Label: Heavy Psych Sounds
Band Links: Official | Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram

Scribed by: xdharmarajax