2015-16 were arguably the best two consecutive years for the indie music scene. We saw the rise of the now-staple Neighbourhood Music Festival, the glitter-soaked likes of Sundara Karma and Wolf Alice dominated, Two Door Cinema Club released their first new album in four years, Catfish and The Bottlemen’s The Balcony was receiving the late recognition it deserved and The 1975 unveiled were at their height. But perhaps, most culturally significant was the release of Circa Waves’ chart-topping, long-to-be Summer anthem ‘T-Shirt Weather’, plucked from their debut record, Young Chasers.
Now, standing out as an indie artist has never been easy, and to do so in the mid-2010s was a seemingly impossible challenge. Peaking out above the rest and having a song go 2015’s version of viral (being shared on Instagram stories instead of soundtracking TikTok reels), was an impressive feat, and Circa Waves managed to accomplish this with just their fifth (now platinum) single. The band’s scene had been thoroughly set, however, with the tracks that preceded it. ‘Stuck In My Teeth’ and ‘Young Chasers’ are drenched in sun-soaked guitars, incredibly infectious lyrics and heavily melodic soundscapes that are now a staple for the Liverpool quartet.
Jumping forwards a decade, Circa Waves are now releasing their sixth record Death & Love Pt 1, which is slated to be their most stunning and personal project to date. Penned following a surgery frontman Kieran Shudhall endured in 2023, which led to the cancellation of tours, he explains that he wrote the record as a way to process his experience; “I needed this record to process what I went through. A letter to tell myself I would stick around. Most of all, I wanted to make a record for me, with music I love and hopefully music to make kids in their bedroom pick up a guitar and believe they can take on the f*cking world.”
Opening track, ‘American Dream’ is a melodic pursuit of happiness that finds itself deeply rooted in optimistic lyrics and infectious basslines. It doesn’t take long for the track to explode in typical Circa Waves style – at forty seconds in we’re reintroduced to the band we know and love – soaring vocals and fiery guitars drive home Kieran’s self-directed message of hope (“I’m an English boy with an American dream”). This theme of optimism is continued through ‘La Bateau’, which reminisces on youthful nights out.
‘Like You Did Before’ harks back to their indie roots, with glistening instrumentation that wouldn’t find itself amiss on Young Chasers, and despite its upbeat soundscape, it shrouds a darker undertone (“I’m subdued, I’m confused, I’m crying out for help”). It marks itself as the first outwardly emotive track on the record and finds itself in the company of the stripped back ‘Hold It Steady’ and melancholy-tinged ‘Blue Damselfly’.
A remarkable stand out on the record owed to its incredibly rich instrumentation and impressive vocal performance from Shudhall, ‘We Made It’ is a heartfelt ode to survival and boasts fluent tempo changes. Resilience (“you run like a racehorse”) champions the track as Shudhall declares “yeah, we made it” that reflects the joy in “coming out the other side”.
With Death & Love Pt 1, Circa Waves prove they’re not just indie-rock one-trick ponies and demonstrate their adaptability and incredible knack for penning heartfelt tunes.
Words by Lana Williams
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