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Hard Rock Single Celebrates Brotherhood Forged Through Music, Features Decade-Long Collaboration with Bassist Patryk Szymański. Melodic Hard Rock with Modern Production Pays Homage to Bon Jovi and Def Leppard’s Legacy of Commitment and Craft.

CITOVITZ AND FIREFLIES OF FEBRUARY have released “You’re Not My Friend—You’re My Brother, My Friend,” the first single from the upcoming EP “My Revenge,” set to drop on February 10th, 2026 — Andrzej Citowicz‘s 50th birthday.

The single’s cover features Citowicz alongside bassist Patryk Szymański, whose presence represents more than musical collaboration—it embodies over a decade of genuine friendship that evolved into brotherhood through shared creative journey and mutual survival through life’s hardest moments.

Stream the single here:

A SONG ABOUT BROTHERHOOD THAT TRANSCENDS FRIENDSHIP

“You’re Not My Friend—You’re My Brother, My Friend” explores the rare bonds that develop when friendship deepens into something words struggle to capture—when someone becomes family not through blood, but through choosing to stay when staying is hardest.

“Some relationships transcend easy categorization,” Citowicz explains. “Patryk and I didn’t plan to become brothers. Music brought us together more than a decade ago, but what built between us—the trust, the loyalty, the showing up through loss and grief—that happened because we both chose it. Every single time.”

The song carries particular weight given Citowicz’s recent years navigating the loss of his son Jonasz, documented in his deeply personal album “Living Room Rockstar Part 2.” Through that darkness, certain people proved themselves to be more than friends.

“When you go through what we’ve been through, you learn who your real brothers are,” Citowicz states simply. “Patryk stayed. Not just musically, but humanly. He stood beside me when I couldn’t stand alone. This song is about people like him—the ones who become family when you need it most.”

PATRYK SZYMAŃSKI: MORE THAN A DECADE OF MUSICAL BROTHERHOOD

Patryk Szymański’s bass work on “You’re Not My Friend—You’re My Brother, My Friend” showcases the musical intuition that develops when two players share more than a stage—when they share a life.
“Patryk’s bass playing is phenomenal, but that’s almost beside the point,” Citowicz reflects. “What makes working with him special is that he understands what I’m trying to say before I say it. We’ve been creating together for over ten years. We’ve survived together. The music reflects that connection—you can’t fake the kind of chemistry that comes from genuine brotherhood.”

Szymański’s contribution extends beyond technical proficiency. His bass lines provide the foundation that allows Citowicz’s guitar work to soar while grounding the song’s emotional weight in solid, driving rhythms. The result is a track that feels both powerful and intimate—rock music that carries the weight of lived experience.

“Patryk doesn’t just play on my records,” Citowicz emphasizes. “He makes everything complete. But more than that, he’s been there through the moments when music was the only thing keeping me alive. Through the loss of Jonasz. Through grief that had no words. He stayed when staying was hard. That’s brotherhood.”

THE MUSICAL APPROACH: MELODIC HARD ROCK WITH MODERN PRODUCTION

Musically, “You’re Not My Friend—You’re My Brother, My Friend” embodies melodic hard rock with contemporary production values—honoring the classic rock traditions that shaped Citowicz while embracing modern sonic possibilities.
“I grew up with Bon Jovi and Def Leppard posters covering my walls in Wałbrzych, Poland,” Citowicz recalls. “Those bands taught me about melodic craft, about hooks that stay with you, about guitar-driven rock that still serves the song. But they also taught me something deeper—Jon Bon Jovi showed me you can be a rockstar and still honor commitment, still build something lasting with the people in your life. That philosophy runs through everything I create.”
The song’s production balances raw emotion with polished execution. Guitars drive the track with the energy of classic hard rock, while the production techniques employ modern clarity and depth. The result bridges generations—appealing to listeners raised on 80s rock anthems while sounding current and vital.

“I wanted this song to feel timeless but sound today,” Citowicz explains. “The melodic sensibility, the song structure, the way the guitars and bass work together—that’s pure 80s hard rock influence. But the production, the sonic space, the way everything sits in the mix—that’s using everything we can do now. It’s respecting where I came from while living in the present.”

The Bon Jovi and Def Leppard influence manifests not just in sound, but in philosophy. Like his heroes, Citowicz believes rock music should be accessible without sacrificing substance, powerful without overwhelming vulnerability, anthemic while remaining personal.

“Desmond Child and Jon Bon Jovi taught me about hooks—those moments that grab you and don’t let go,” he notes. “But they also taught me that commercial appeal and emotional honesty aren’t opposites. You can write a song people want to sing along to that still means something real. That’s what I’m always chasing.”

“MY REVENGE”: A 50TH BIRTHDAY STATEMENT

“You’re Not My Friend—You’re My Brother, My Friend” serves as the opening statement for “My Revenge,” a five-song EP releasing on Citowicz’s 50th birthday, February 10th, 2026.
The EP’s title carries multiple meanings—all deeply personal.

“Fifty isn’t what it was for our parents’ generation,” Citowicz reflects. “Our 50 is different. Still unfinished. Still learning. Still proving something. ‘My Revenge’ is partly about that—about reaching this milestone after everything that tried to stop me. After loss. After grief. After being told I’d never make it as a musician. Here I am. Still playing. Still creating. Still believing music matters.”

But the title carries deeper significance beyond defying expectations.
“‘My Revenge’ is also about turning pain into creation,” he explains. “Life dealt some brutal hands. Losing Jonasz. Watching my wife be overlooked and unappreciated for 53 years. Going through darkness that should have destroyed us. My revenge isn’t about hurting anyone—it’s about refusing to let that pain have the final word. It’s about making something beautiful from what tried to break us. That’s the best revenge against suffering—surviving it and creating anyway.”
The EP title also reflects Citowicz’s journey as a self-described “living room rockstar”—someone who never achieved mainstream success but never stopped believing music matters.

“I never became the rockstar on those posters in my teenage bedroom,” he acknowledges. “I never played stadiums or signed major deals. But I’m still here. Still writing. Still recording. Still finding people who connect with what I’m trying to say. After 50 years, I’m still standing with a guitar in my hands. That feels like its own kind of revenge against everyone who said this was impossible.”

THE COVER: A VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF BROTHERHOOD

The single’s cover features Citowicz and Szymański together—a deliberate choice that honors the song’s central theme.
“I wanted people to see us,” Citowicz states. “Not just hear the music, but see the faces of two people who built something real through sound. Patryk belongs on this cover because this song doesn’t exist without him. Not just his bass playing—though that’s crucial—but his presence in my life. His brotherhood. That deserves to be visible.”

The cover image captures both musicians in a moment of genuine connection—not posed or manufactured, but authentically representing the relationship the song celebrates.
“We’ve been playing together for over a decade,” Citowicz notes. “We’ve shared stages, studios, grief, joy—everything that makes up a life in music. The cover shows two brothers. That’s not marketing. That’s truth.”

CONTINUING THE JOURNEY: FROM “MY STORY” TO “MY REVENGE”

“You’re Not My Friend—You’re My Brother, My Friend” arrives in the wake of Citowicz’s recent surprise album “My Story,” released January 1st, 2026, which featured lyrics entirely written by his wife, Shereen Shoukry Citowicz.
The progression from “My Story” to “My Revenge” represents Citowicz reclaiming his own narrative while honoring the collaborative spirit that defines his work.

“‘My Story’ was Shereen’s voice—her 53 years, her truth, her survival,” he explains. “‘My Revenge’ is mine. But they’re connected. Both albums are about refusing to stay silent. Both are about turning pain into something that might help someone else survive. Both prove that even when life tries to destroy you, you can still create.”

The thematic connection extends to the musical approach. Like “My Story,” “My Revenge” balances raw emotional honesty with solid musicianship, never sacrificing craft for confession or polish for authenticity.
“I believe you can make music that’s emotionally devastating and still well-produced,” Citowicz states. “You can write about the hardest things and still care about the guitar tone, the arrangement, the hook. Emotion and craft aren’t enemies—they support each other. That’s what I learned from Bon Jovi, from Def Leppard, from all the bands that shaped me. They never treated commercial appeal and genuine feeling as opposites.”

THE MESSAGE: FOR EVERYONE WHO FOUND THEIR BROTHER THROUGH SOUND

While deeply personal, “You’re Not My Friend—You’re My Brother, My Friend” speaks to universal experience—the discovery that sometimes the people who become most important aren’t connected by blood, but by shared passion and mutual choice.
“If you’ve ever had someone in your life who became more than a friend—who became the person you call when the world is too heavy, who stays when staying is hard, who shares your music and your silence with equal care—you know what this song means,” Citovicz offers.

He continues: “This is for everyone who found their brother through sound. Who built something real through creating together. Who knows the difference between friendship and brotherhood because they’ve lived it. Music can do this—it can bring two people together and create a bond that holds when everything else falls apart.”

The song’s message resonates particularly in an era where genuine human connection often feels increasingly rare.
“We’re living in complicated times,” Citowicz observes. “Everything feels divided, isolated, disconnected. But music still has this power to bring people together—not just as audience and performer, but as real human beings who recognize something in each other. Patryk and I found that through playing together. This song celebrates that possibility—that you can find your family through art, through creation, through showing up and staying.”

LOOKING FORWARD: THE FULL EP AND BEYOND

“My Revenge” drops in full on February 10th, 2026, featuring five tracks that collectively represent Citowicz’s statement on reaching 50 while refusing to be finished.
“These five songs are rehearsals for whatever comes next,” he explains. “Fifty doesn’t mean done—it means experienced enough to know what matters. Scarred enough to understand survival. Humble enough to keep learning. These songs reflect all of that.”

Additional singles from the EP will be revealed in the coming weeks leading up to the February 10th release.
“Each song has its own story, its own reason for existing,” Citowicz notes. “But they all connect around this idea of revenge as creation—of refusing to let pain, loss, or being overlooked have the final word. Of still standing with a guitar after everything that tried to knock you down.”

AVAILABILITY AND CONNECT

“You’re Not My Friend—You’re My Brother, My Friend” is available now on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, and all major streaming platforms. The full EP “My Revenge” releases February 10th, 2026.

YouTube lyric video: https://youtu.be/IlRPDrb2bLg?si=sZHHdIp1zBmRwFD1

“Some relationships transcend easy words. Patryk and I didn’t plan to become brothers—music brought us together, and everything else built itself through years of playing, creating, surviving together. When you go through what we’ve been through, you learn who your real brothers are. Patryk stayed. Not just musically, but humanly. He stood beside me when I couldn’t stand alone. This song is about people like him—the ones who become family when you need it most. If you’ve ever found your brother through sound, this one’s for you.” — Andrzej Citowicz

ARTIST CONTACTS & LINKS:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7aIeg5DyI7xwkYLsBgJNWf
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AndrzejCitowicz
Instagram: https://instagram.com/citovitz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/citovitz/

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About Andrzej Citowicz:
Andrzej Citowicz is an acclaimed Polish guitarist and songwriter currently based in Cairo, Egypt. As a former recording artist for DownBoys Records, he has built a reputation for emotionally resonant songwriting and distinctive guitar work. His music combines classic rock influences with contemporary production, creating a sound that bridges generational and cultural gaps while maintaining artistic authenticity. His YouTube channel has garnered over 70,000 views from an international audience.

℗© 2026 Citovitz and The Fireflies of February / Andrzej Citowicz