When The Beatles shipped off to Hamburg in 1960, they were still wet behind the ears on stage. Getting better acquainted as musicians, the foursome plugged in at any venue, adhering to a near boot camp schedule and fine-tuning their sound and performance style over the next two years. Minus the four-to-five hour gigs the Fab Four often had to endure, in some ways Circa Waves had a similar run. After singer Kieran Shudall released some demos, he needed to recruit a band and pieced together Circa Waves in 2013. The Liverpool band barely knew one another but immediately played anywhere they could, releasing their debut Young Chasers by 2015. “It takes a good four or five years to really get to know people and to become a solid band,” says Shudall. “I feel we’ve finally done that now.”
Now, Circa Waves have arrived at their fourth album. Split into two parts, the first Happy portion, out Jan. 10, will combine with the remaining, Sad songs on March 13, as Sad Happy (Prolifica / [PIAS]). “This next record is our moment,” Shudall tells American Songwriter. “We can show people our actual real sound and really become Circa Waves.”
Tina Eves 