Boosting Your Self Esteem With CITIZEN RAT

Interview by Kris Peters
Sunshine Coast’s own punk rock force, Citizen Rat, has kicked off
2025 with their explosive new single, Shut My Mouth.
After a over a year of refining their sound, they’re back — bright,
bold, and louder than ever. With blistering riffs, raw emotion, and
electrifying energy, Shut My Mouth is a fierce statement from a
band carving out their own lane in the punk rock scene.
At its core the song is a battle cry for anyone who’s ever felt
silenced or misunderstood. It explores the struggles of navigating
life as a neurodivergent, high-energy individual, grappling with
abusive self-doubt and the constant impact of others' perceptions.
The track delves into the frustration of losing yourself in trying
to please everyone and the self-loathing that follows when you
inevitably fail. If Fugazi and The Bronx had a love child raised on
of self-doubt, resilience, and introspection, it would sound like
this.
Having shared the stage with the likes of Civic, Total Pace, Isua
and Pandemic as well as headlining festivals such as Rotten Fest
and taken to the road on their own headline run early in 2024,
Citizen Rat is quickly becoming one of the most exciting acts
coming from the Sunshine Coast, QLD. Known for their unique vocal
style, curated sound, and electrifying live shows, they’ve carved
out a distinct place in Australian punk.
Recorded at Airlock Studios with producer Jordan Bain and mastered
by Willy Bowden, Shut My Mouth marks a new chapter for Citizen Rat.
The single is out now, with the boys hitting the road this March to
celebrate.
HEAVY caught up with frontman Dartanyon Hutchison and guitarist
Brendan Statham to find out more. One of the things we bring up is
the song title Shut My Mouth. Generally song titles are directed
elsewhere, as in Shut YOUR Mouth, but the way this one is written
makes it a bit more personal in its direction.
"It's definitely intentional," Hutchison laughed. "It's… a lot of
the song is rooted in self doubt and trying to navigate the world
and feeling like every corner I take is the wrong decision. I know
that in my heart I'm doing the right thing, but then I've got this
self-doubt thing and that's the basis of the song. Just
overthinking, the strss of 'why am I anxious right now?' 'What have
I done wrong?' I think back on the day and I know I've done nothing
wrong but my brain is telling me otherwise. I dunno… It's kind of
hard to even explain."
In the full interview, the boys talk more about Shut My Mouth, the
song musically and how it represents Citizen Rat moving forward,
how they went about restructuring their sound, upcoming singles, a
future album, their musical style and where it comes from, upcoming
live shows and more.
March 15 - Solbar - Sunshine Coast
March 22 - Bone Idol - Toowoomba
March 29 - Old Bundy Tav - Bundaberg
April 12 - TBC - Lismore
April 18 - Greaser - Brisbane
May 2 - Double Barrel - Sunshine Coast
May 3 - Banshee Bar - Ipswich


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