Circa Waves
Known for their nervy, melodic indie rock, Britain's Circa Waves first gained buzz in the 2010s with hooky singles like "Get Away" and "Stuck in My Teeth." Centered on lead singer/songwriter Kieran Shudall, the band earned favorable comparisons to the Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, and the Vaccines even before they hit the Top Ten with their debut, 2015's Young Chasers. Without shying away from their influences, the band has matured, and albums like 2017's Different Creatures, 2019's What's It Like Over There? showcase their deepening maturity and knack for crafting their own distinctively infectious, post-punk anthems. In 2020, they reached number four on the U.K. albums chart with Sad Happy and returned in 2023 with Never Going Under.
Circa Waves was formed in Liverpool in May 2013 by guitarist and singer Shudall, who had decided to "knuckle down" and commit fully to music after spending years in a succession of no-hope garage bands. After writing a batch of songs and putting some demos online, he recruited second guitarist Joe Falconer, bassist Sam Rourke, and drummer Sian Plummer (replaced by Colin Jones in 2015), and the band undertook a few short tours of the U.K. and Europe. Their melodic, propulsive rock sound, heavily inspired by the Strokes and often compared to the Vaccines, was well-received by audiences, and such a buzz built around them that they were soon offered a deal with Transgressive Records, erstwhile home of Foals, the Subways, and Mystery Jets.
Their debut single, the double-A-side "Get Away"/"Good for Me," was released in December 2013 and was almost immediately hailed the "Hottest Record in the World" by taste-making BBC Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe. On the heels of that first wave of excitement, Circa Waves released their debut full-length album, Young Chasers, on Virgin/EMI in 2015. Buoyed by singles like "T-Shirt Weather" and "Stuck in My Teeth," the album reached the Top Ten of the U.K. albums chart and paved the way for a series of well-attended live shows, including a sold-out date at London's O2 Academy Brixton.
The reception they received for their debut instilled them with a greater sense of confidence, and as a result they returned to the studio almost immediately after touring; with their renewed vigor they created a heavier, beefier sophomore record, 2017's Different Creatures. Produced by Alan Moulder, the album fared well, hitting number 11 on the U.K. album chart, and spawning the singles "Wake Up" and "Fire That Burns."
The band's third full-length, What's It Like Over There?, arrived in 2019 and included the single "Movies." A Top Ten album in the U.K., it again found the band working with Moulder and embracing a more nuanced pop sophistication. In early 2020, they delivered Sad Happy, which featured production by singer Shudall and mixing from Matt Wiggins and Dan Grech-Marguerat. Prior to the album's full release, it was split in half and issued on two separate EPs, Happy and Sad. It was the group's highest-charting effort to date, peaking at number four on the U.K. charts. Circa Waves returned in January 2023 with their fifth full-length, Never Going Under. Informed by Shudall's experience becoming a father and his worries over climate change and the state of the world, it featured the singles "Hell on Earth" and "Carry You Home."
© John D. Buchanan /TiVo
Similar artists
Discography
49 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
-
We Made It
Alternative & Indie - Released by Lower Third on 30 Sep 2024
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Young Chasers (Deluxe)
Alternative & Indie - Released by [PIAS] Recordings Catalogue on 30 Mar 2015
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Never Going Under
Alternative & Indie - Released by Lower Third on 13 Jan 2023
Available in24-Bit/48 kHz Stereo -
Sad Happy
Alternative & Indie - Released by Prolifica Inc. on 13 Mar 2020
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Never Going Unplugged
Alternative & Indie - Released by Lower Third on 23 Mar 2023
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Like You Did Before
Alternative & Indie - Released by Lower Third on 8 Dec 2024
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Different Creatures
Alternative & Indie - Released by [PIAS] Recordings Catalogue on 10 Mar 2017
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Somebody Else
Alternative & Indie - Released by [PIAS] Recordings Catalogue on 23 Jun 2017
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Goodbye (Alternate Version)
Alternative & Indie - Released by [PIAS] Recordings Catalogue on 30 Jun 2017
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Fire That Burns (Acoustic)
Alternative & Indie - Released by [PIAS] Recordings Catalogue on 24 Feb 2017
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Death & Love, Pt. 1
Alternative & Indie - Released by Lower Third on 31 Jan 2025
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Young Chasers
Alternative & Indie - Released by [PIAS] Recordings Catalogue on 1 Sep 2015
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Happy
Alternative & Indie - Released by Prolifica Inc. on 10 Jan 2020
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Living in the Grey
Alternative & Indie - Released by Lower Third on 15 Dec 2022
Available in24-Bit/48 kHz Stereo -
American Dream
Alternative & Indie - Released by Lower Third on 31 Oct 2024
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Nothing To Lose (feat. Circa Waves)
Electronic - Released by [PIAS] Électronique on 19 Jan 2024
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Young Chasers
Alternative & Indie - Released by [PIAS] Recordings Catalogue on 30 Mar 2015
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Hell On Earth EP
Alternative & Indie - Released by Lower Third on 19 Aug 2022
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Do You Wanna Talk
Alternative & Indie - Released by Lower Third on 22 Sep 2022
Available in24-Bit/48 kHz Stereo -
T-Shirt Weather
Alternative & Indie - Released by [PIAS] Recordings Catalogue on 23 Feb 2015
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Fire That Burns
Alternative & Indie - Released by [PIAS] Recordings Catalogue on 17 Mar 2017
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo