Liverpool’s Indie powerhouses Circa Waves are returning with their spectacular 6th album ‘Death & Love Pt.1’ on January 31st via Lower Third/PIAS. This will then be followed up by a huge UK tour which includes dates at Manchester’s Victoria Warehouse on February 22nd and a special homecoming show at Liverpool Olympia on March 1st. This new album release is especially poignant for frontman Kieran Shudall who suffered life-threatening heart problems in 2023. This new record explores Kieran’s reflections on mortality and the importance of our loved ones around us as he uses music as a cathartic tool to process his traumatic experiences.
Ahead of the album and UK tour, we spoke with Kieran about the impact his health had on his outlook in life, his affinity with the new album tracks and what he’s most excited for out on tour.
Q. Did your health problems throughout 2023 and recovery in 2024 give you a different view on songwriting and life in general?
A. “The problems I had with my heart just completely changed my perspective on life…it rocked my world and my families’ world of course. I went from thinking shit I’m going to die, to finding what I’d describe as a new lease of life. I still can't get over how lucky I am to still be here…like I’ll be walking down the street and staring up at the architecture and thinking wow that’s amazing you know…stuff like that I’d never appreciated before”.
Q. What parts of your life have impacted the new album the most? Did this change of perspective play a big part?
A. “It’s mostly just the change in age and circumstances for me, I think. I went from being 25, to suddenly 35…you know time flies. The way you look at the world changes and I know it’s not very rock and roll but…you know trying to be a better person is important and I want to put that into my work. I write songs about my wife, my children and take inspiration from the way the world is at the moment. When you get older you realise just how f**** up the world is…not that young people don’t know but it’s a different feeling as I’ve gotten older”.
Q. Talking about getting older though, you have a track called ‘Le Bateau’ which you’ve said is about reminding “youthful nights out”, is there a specific story behind this?
A. “There’s not one specific story as such, it’s more just about being 18 and getting drunk with my mates and going mad on the dance floor. The memory of seeing my wife across the room and thinking ‘oh my god, I have to dance with that woman’ always sticks in my mind though”.
Q. How did working with Matt Wiggins (U2, Adele) impact the album making process?
A. “Matt is a really cool guy, I love him. I’m talking to him everyday at the moment as he’s still currently working on some stuff for us.
Q. If you had to kiss, marry and kill one track each from your new album which would you choose?
A. “I think I would marry ‘We Made It’ because I think it’s very stable and triumphant, kiss ‘Like You Did Before’ because I think it would be a good kisser and I guess I’d kill ‘American Dream’ because that dream has kind of died with Donald Trump being president again”.
Q. Which tracks from the new album are you most looking forward to playing on tour?
A. “If I’m being honest, we haven’t sorted a set list as of now, as we haven’t got into the practice room yet, we’ve just recorded them. I do lean towards the fast paced ones to get people going…I mean we’d be stupid if we didn’t play the likes of ‘T-shirt Weather’…but it’s difficult to know what deep cuts to include…that like people know”.
Q. And which cities are you looking forward to playing the most?
A. “Liverpool is always special of course but also nerve racking as my mates are there but it’s always a special feeling. Glasgow is always a good one for us as well because you know it’s going to be wild…Glaswegians always know how to start a good mosh pit and get the energy up. Anywhere up North is always a fun time. We are lucky though…and I’m not just saying this but we have really great fans so we know, like wherever we go it’ll be amazing, a good time with good vibes”.
Q. Talking of returning to Liverpool on your tour, are there any local artists that have caught your eye over the last few years?
A. “To be honest, I need to get back out there and listen to more stuff going around but it’s hard with having two kids now. I love the likes of Stone and Courting though, I think they’ve got some really cool interesting stuff going on”.
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