So what makes great pop music? That’s a question for the philosophers and they should, during their intellectual considerations, pay attention to Citizen Helene.
Easy on the ear, and with a fluidity of performance that suggests greater, and American things, Citizen Helene make their song “How Can You Find Someone To Love?” sound as if indie pop had been re-invented by Curtis Mayfield with the added degree of near danceability sanding off the lo-fi rough edges so beloved of the genre. Top it off with the sonorous voice of Helene Bradley herself and you have the recipe for happy ears.
“Bridges”, on the flipside, is less indie pop than lounge but, once again, Helene’s voice is there to convince you that all that is Bacharach works as the gro-bag for the flowers that make new songs.
Available as a limited edition vinyl single (with a fold out poster that further reinforces the retro vibe) from WIAIWYA Records.