The New Citizen Kane aren’t shy of going big. Their new EP Causing A Commotion is a glossy, neon-soaked ride that throws disco shimmer, vocal-heavy EDM and synth-pop nostalgia into the same glitter ball and smashes it against the wall. The London outfit clearly want to soundtrack late nights, messy dance floors and the strange comedown conversations that follow, and for the most part they manage it.
Opening cut Subconscious sets the tone with a lush, pulsing backdrop and vocals that drift somewhere between seduction and confession. It’s slick, hypnotic and, crucially, doesn’t overstay its welcome – the kind of track that sticks in your head without beating you to death with repetition. Bubble Gum Hot keeps things sugary but not throwaway, its hooky melodies rubbing up against club-ready synths. It’s fun, a little camp, and knows exactly what it is. Title track Causing A Commotion is arguably the centrepiece, leaning into a bolder, stomping rhythm that feels like it was designed to rattle out of a warehouse PA system at three in the morning.
The mid-run detour into Meet Me On Street Corners (Synthphonica Radio Mix) and Hearts Aren’t Made Of Wood ‘25shows the band stretching their palette. The former drips with nocturnal moodiness, a remix that actually adds texture instead of just length, while the latter blends sharp electronic pop with just enough alternative edge to avoid blandness. Ratbag Joy (Alternative Version) is scruffier and more playful, like a reminder that this project doesn’t take itself too seriously. Finally, San Diego (Synthphonica Radio Mix) closes things out with a bittersweet, almost cinematic feel, proof that they can do atmosphere as well as straight-up danceability.
There are moments, though, where polish threatens to tip into predictability. A couple of choruses feel overly engineered, like they’ve been sanded down until nothing jagged remains. That slickness works on the dancefloor but risks losing character on headphones. And lyrically, while Subconscious pulls off its themes of tension and forbidden attraction with flair, elsewhere the words occasionally veer into cliché. Nothing fatal, but there are flashes where you wish they’d trusted their strangeness instead of leaning on familiar club tropes.
Still, Causing A Commotion does what it says on the tin. It’s vibrant, infectious and made for movement, a record that could sit comfortably alongside the sharper end of electronic pop while still nodding to disco’s camp theatrics. The New Citizen Kane aren’t reinventing the wheel here, but they are giving it a fresh spin – one drenched in sweat, neon and just enough heart to make you want to come back for another round.
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