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29 Jan Circa Waves – Death & Love Pt. 1 [ENG]
Circa Waves are already celebrating the 10th anniversary of their debut album, Young Chasers. Rather than dwelling on the past, the band unveils their sixth studio album in 2025: Death & Love Pt. 1. It explores love and death, two opposing yet intertwined themes for frontman Kieran Shudall.
This more introspective album draws its energy from Shudall‘s terrifying experience. During the Sad Happy and Never Going Under tours, he experienced recurring chest pain. Unconcerned, he finally consulted a doctor in April 2023, midway through the second tour. The diagnosis was stark: a blocked coronary artery, requiring immediate surgery.
Some songs reflect this shock and his fear of suddenly leaving his family behind. On Blue Damselfly, written in the hospital, he simply evokes his helplessness before the operation: « If I’ve got to go, then I guess I’ll go, leave the sun behind… » . Driven by its bass line and enhanced by subtle touches of electric guitar, the song features a successful, contemplative outro that deserved to conclude the track. Hold It Steady, written post-op, pays tribute to his wife who steadfastly supported him through this difficult period of doubt and fear. Despite moving lyrics, the melody lacks depth and emotion. Everything Changed illustrates his new mindset after the surgery: without any apparent change in his daily life, every pleasure seems amplified. Positive and catchy, it’s a successful attempt at an effective rock song!
This central theme doesn’t permeate the entire album, impacting its consistency. The remaining tracks, a compilation of spontaneous ideas, lack structure and connection. We Made It, Le Bateau, and Let’s Leave Together, perfect for festivals, revert to pop-rock formulas already heard from Circa Waves: monotonous rhythms, catchy but forgettable melodies, and even a whistled refrain (a device already used in 2020 on Battered & Bruised).
The album is not without its merits, however, particularly its remarkable production, handled by Kieran and Matt Wiggins (Adele, Lana Del Rey, Glass Animals). Death & Love Pt. 1 reveals at times a band evolving: new sounds and less predictable structures. The intro, American Dream, offers a real tapestry of sonic textures, leading into an anthemic chorus worthy of Arcade Fire at their best. Like You Did Before, a track with 2000s indie-rock vibes, benefits from polished production, especially on the guitar arpeggios. Everything Changed follows this path, exploring various guitar tones. The album closes with the pleasant Bad Guys Always Win, featuring an interesting outro marked by a successful yet far too short melancholic rhythmic break.
True to form, Circa Waves delivers a catchy album with some good tracks, but one that lacks consistency. If compared to the rest of their discography, this album would sit somewhere in the middle. A decent album perhaps lacking strong singles!
A second part, Death & Love, has been announced by Kieran, with no release date yet. A compilation of both parts is expected, as with Sad Happy in 2020.
Tracklist
American Dream
Like You Did Before
We Made It
Le Bateau
Hold It Steady
Let’s Leave Together
Blue Damselfly
Everything Changed
Bad Guys Always Win
La note du rédacteur : 6,5/10
His favourite tracks : Like You Did Before, American Dream, Everything Changed
Circa Waves will be playing in Paris on February 12, 2025, at Le Trabendo. We recommend this playlist to get you ready for the gig!
Fabien: 8/10. A good album on the whole, but perhaps lacking in must-have hits.
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