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Adapting to life after heartbreak. Calling on the old phantoms of your recent sorrow. Nostalgia we sometimes want to revisit, and sometimes we only write about. Brooklyn babe and Public Practice member Drew Citron released some of that anguish on October 9th, with her solo debut Free Now<\/em>. Following the breakup of her first band, Beverly – and the end of her relationship with drummer Scott Rosenthal, whom Citron also opened Bushwick venue Alphaville with – she set out to write the album as a means of channeling her emotions on her own creative wave. \u201cWhen you go through loss, there\u2019s a really great growth period afterward, and you really \u2018get free.\u2019 That\u2019s the theme of the album,\u201d Citron explains. \u201cIt\u2019s not a coincidence that this [change] coincides with my solo debut.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For Citron, writing the album was a comfort covering an overflow of emotions. \u201cI honestly was just trying to sing and play guitar in a way where I would soothe myself because I was so sad. And it worked. I started focusing on finishing the songs,\u201d Citron says. \u201cI\u2019m lucky that I can play music and write as a form of catharsis.\u201d This writing process became a kind of therapy, clearing the fog from her mind, as Citron explored sounds she could take solace in, rather than the nervy post-punk of Public Practice or the grungified surf rock of Beverly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her first single, \u201cSummertime,\u201d showcases an undisturbed mellowness; Citron explains that she focused on painting a picture with the instrumentals, rather than telling a specific story. \u201cI was working on scaling things back and being very sparse with the arrangement and the production,” she says, adding that she wanted to “create a feeling with the sounds.” Subtle acoustic guitar on the title track lets Citron’s voice shine in a way it hasn’t been able to on her previous projects. Elsewhere, like on “Kiss Me,” Citron buries her sentiments in layers of dream pop fuzz. Citron leans into more pop-oriented sounds throughout, even incorporating country twang on album closer “Love’s the Illusion.” Free Now<\/em> isn’t just about anecdotal liberation, but creative freedom, as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n