The word evolution doesn’t come close to describing the transformation that has happened between Liverpool band Circa Waves’ debut album, Young Chasers , and their recent release Different Creatures. Young Chasers, and in particular T Shirt Weather, a song which can only be described as the epitome of summer, falls on the ‘light & easy’ side of indie music, thoroughly enjoyable but nothing challenging. Different Creatures is a completely different story.
Opening with Wake Up, a song which smashes the album open with catchy but dark guitar riffs, Different Creatures continues with similarly punchy and confident songs. Lyrically, love is clearly a central theme but darker and significantly more poignant ideas are also touched upon. A prime example being the title track , Different Creatures , which appears to be about the Syrian Refugee Crisis with “in another life, in another time, we would be different creatures” telling us how lucky we are to have been born in the UK and not elsewhere, and “twenty thousand souls” referring to the government cap on the amount of refugees allowed into Britain. As we discussed in our interview with VANT , it is no easy task to write such heartfelt lyrics concerning one of the most sensitive topics in our current society without compromising the quality of the song. Their ability to do this reflects their growing maturity , both lyrically and musically.
Love’s Run Out offers a short ( and perhaps well needed ) rest bite from the rest of the album, and is somewhat reminiscent of The Libertines early albums, which is always a good thing in our book. In fact, most of the songs on the album, particularly Wake Up, would not seem out of place on any nineties rock album. Despite being a total contrast to Young Chasers, the album does not lack Circa Waves’ characteristically infectious melodies. Both Stuck and Fire That Burns have the appropriately unforgettable riffs and sing-along choruses associated with the four-piece, and just because they’re not as light as the likes of T Shirt Weather and Get Away it doesn’t mean that they can’t capture that summer festival atmosphere somewhere in amongst angst.
The Liverpool band might only have been together since 2013 but they’ve come on in leaps and bounds since their inception. Many artists explode out of the blocks with a killer debut album and then spend the following 10 years trying to re-create it. However, it is clear to see that this is not the case with these guys, they have grown into their musical personas and after boxing off the ‘crowd pleasing’ album they have been allowed the room to produce a record full of their true grit… and it’s fucking awesome!
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