A versatile Christian rock outfit from the Pacific Northwest, Citizens formed in 2011 under the leadership of vocalist and guitarist Zach Bolen. The group introduced a melody-driven, emotionally charged style of faith-based alternative rock that blended post-punk textures, praise-and-worship elements, and electronic indie influences. Ahead of its second full-length album, the 2014 release Join the Triumph, the band briefly operated under the name Citizens & Saints before returning to Citizens for the 2019 album Fear.
The project originated in 2011 with Zach Bolen, Nathan Furtado, Adam Skatula, Brian Eichelberger, and Spencer Abbott at its core. At the time the members maintained ties to Mars Hill Church, where Bolen served as a deacon. Their first recording, the EP Already/Not Yet, appeared in 2012, followed in 2013 by a self-titled debut album issued jointly by Mars Hill and BEC Recordings. After parting ways with the church in 2014, Bolen and the group adopted the Citizens & Saints name and delivered Join the Triumph exclusively through BEC. Their third studio album, A Mirror Dimly, surfaced in 2016, and the five-track In Part EP arrived the next year as their initial outing on Gospel Song Records. Early 2019 brought the crowdfunded album Fear on Humble Beast, with the EP Waking Up to Never Die following later that autumn. In 2020 the band signed with Integrity Records and issued The Joy of Being, a collection of stripped-down tracks captured on cell phones and featuring only lyrics, melodies, and basic instrumentation expressly intended for congregational use.
