Sovereign Citizen is an outsider musician based in London. The elusive and genre-defying artist began releasing music in 2021 with the ripping, lo-fi punk anthem “Corporate Propaganda.” Since then, the artist has released several singles, each attacking rock tropes differently. Sovereign Citizen’s wide-reaching approach was cemented on the hypnotically chaotic Forgotten English Rebel Spirit LP the artist released in 2022. The artist thrives on unpredictability, positioning himself as a rock & roll shapeshifter ready to morph into whichever sonic landscape suits the emotions they are trying to express.
For his latest trick, Sovereign Citizen blends his lo-fi tendencies with infectious melodies and bright guitar tones on “No Way José (Not Today Pepe).” The artist’s latest single, and first of 2024, is a warping ballad with the attitude of punk with touches of whimsical pop thrown in the mix. An artist with a diverse sound like Citizen could get lost trying to do too much at once, adding unnecessary genre switches or tempo changes into a song. Instead, Citizen sounds focused and controlled on “No Way José.” The artist crafts infectious melodies and delivers them over a minimalistic yet impactful arrangement, with one foot in grunge and the other in surf-rock. The subtle fusion work paid off tremendously as Sovereign Citizen released a statement piece of a single with “No Way José (Not Today Pepe).”
“This song is about Julián Leyzaola, the ruthless police officer who took down many of the drug cartels operating in Tijuana, Mexico,” explains the artist. “Allegedly, he was offered a bribe of $80,000 a week from the cartels to allow them to continue their operation. He refused this offer and instead ordered the police on a violent rampage to crack down on drug crime in the city by any means necessary.”
