REVIEW: Circa Waves Releases New Album, Death & Love, Pt. 1

MusicReview

Feb 1

REVIEW

BOLD, SHARP, AND ELECTRIC – indie rock band Circa Waves returns with the release of their new album, Death & Love, Pt. 1. As a key player in the indie rock genre, Circa Waves is showing a new side of themselves: a side that isn’t afraid to take risks and show vulnerability. The band consists of Kieran Shudall (vocals, lead guitar), Joe Falconer (guitar), Sam Rourke (bass), and Colin Jones (drums), a group of talented individuals who have brought Circa Waves from the ground up.

Death & Love, Pt. 1 opens with the track, “American Dream.” Like the entirety of the album, each song brings on a feeling of catharsis and sounds like a new beginning. Glimmers of hope are scattered throughout each song due to the initial purpose behind this album. Back in 2023, lead singer Shudall was facing death itself through a life-changing heart surgery. As he recovered, he realized that this record was necessary to cope with and understand the magnitude of what he’d gone through.

As the album continues, we reach track three, “We Made It.” This track offers a deeper look into Shudall’s hopeful outlook toward life mixed with familiar guitars and dynamic bass lines that feel like a warm hug of nostalgia. A classic mix between Bleachers and The Strokes, “We Made It” feels like a fresh and modern take, one that the indie rock genre has been missing.

Track 5, “Hold It Steady” is a slower track on the album, but personally feels the most honest. The gentle lyrics and the dream-pop synths come together to create a vulnerable anthem, an honest plea from Shudall to keep his love and life protected.

What I appreciate most from this album is Circa Waves’ ability to blend all of their favorite genres to create a dynamic masterpiece. Bringing in influences from the indie music of the 2010s and combining that with their own creative flair, Death & Love, Pt. 1 is an exceptional album that deserves your attention. This isn’t an album for passive listening, it unlocks a new layer with each track.

Circa Waves will be taking Death and Love, Pt. 1 out on the road throughout multiple countries beginning February 8 in Germany and ending May 9 in Los Angeles.