Review Summary: An album that, whilst not complex or overly original, knows exactly what it wants to be and pulls it off brilliantly.
Listening to small and local radio stations free of the Top-40 charts seems to be the best way to find new music these days. I’ve lost count of how many albums, from Grunge Rap to Metal, I’ve purchased thanks to a certain station in my local city so small you lose its signal not far out past the borders.
Circa Waves is no exception, a sunny drive in early April England with the windows down and shades on was the perfect moment for the DJ to throw on the Album’s signature single, T-Shirt Weather. Despite the track having only been released this year I felt a wave nostalgia – the late 90s in the back of my Dad’s Rover 800 with the rest of the family for some sunny-day fun-times is what the track reminded me of. I bought the deluxe album as soon as I got my hands on a computer.
Joyful, youthful, unrestricted energy is the best descriptor for almost every track on this album. With the exception of a few tracks to give you some breathing room, this is a high-tempo explosion of indie rock music sporting a very dry production, with a lack of processed effects and an oil drum of grit, softened by smooth chorus and vocal hooks. You get a snippet of reverb, some subtle compression and a nice blob of distortion, and the resulting sound is, to quote my American friend, “So British”. I have to agree, you wont be confusing the style with anything from the United States or Australia.
This album’s greatest virtue is just how darn catchy it is. Track 3, Fossils, is my personal drug of choice and is the standout track by a wide margin as it does very little, if anything, wrong. The tempo feels just right, the progression feels just right, the chorus is as catchy as you can fathom short of throwing a fishing lure at your face and the lyrics, whilst not overly complex or ground-breaking, are enjoyable. Young Chasers, Lost it, The Luck has Gone, T-Shirt Weather and Get Away are the other stand out songs from the 17-track strong Deluxe Edition album.
The near 5-star genius does start to falter, however. The aforementioned lyrics are enjoyable, with excellent harmonies and beautiful energy, but anyone looking for provocative lyrical content should look elsewhere. These are lyrics to reel in, rather than challenge, the listener by way of suction-cupping themselves to your head. It all sort of goes against the slightly more pretentious band and album name that allude to something deeper. Its not pop music levels of shallow, lord no, leagues better than anything pop-rock singing about their “baby”, but for Indie Rock it feels like a facsimile of other acts rather than its own thing. Imagine Jake Bugg’s vocals over a Frankie and the Heartstrings track and you’ve got it. So those looking for a profoundly original sound will be left wanting, too.
So if it’s a facsimile of other Indie Rock groups with nothing too complex, why should you buy this album? The answer is pretty simple, really. When you boil it down its an album that knows its here to have fun. It’s an album to drive too, an album to drink cider too in a field with friends and a tent, an album that would get the crowd jumping at a festival – it knows exactly what it wants to be and it pulls it off perfectly. Youthful energy really does sound excellent.
