Citizens - Try Smiling

Try Smiling, the debut EP from Glasgow trio Citizens -featuring Bronto Skylift's Iain Stewart on drums - is a manic mash-up of converging styles, veering between frenzied hardcore punk and almost prog-like instrumentals. Recorded with a rawness that keeps with the band's vigorous live performances, opener Don't Be Late announces itself in dirty style, luring you in with its initial strums before erupting into belly-busting screams. This hard pace is punctuated by the head-banging grooves and arpeggiated jams of Shitwhistler and the almost Primus-like instrumental plodding of Self-indulgent, before charging headlong into the battering-ram force of Melted. Understandably, the ambitious chops and changes may be a bit head-scratching for some, but these 13 minutes nevertheless make for an absorbing listen.