Circa Waves- 'Different Creatures' Album Review

Circa Waves- ‘Different Creatures’

It seems that the dreaded ‘difficult second album’ plague has claimed another victim, this time in the shape of Liverpudlian indie-pop foursome Circa Waves. The band’s debut record ‘Young Chasers’, released back in 2015, which, despite its relatively lazy song writing and generic indie sound, was above all fun to hear and had an exciting energy coursing through it which made it extremely pleasurable for the listener. It was this enjoyable summery vibe that drew people into Circa Waves, their debut effort provided listeners with catchy hooks and jangly chords that inevitably made people feel content. On this second album however, Circa Waves have taken a much different approach. They’ve ditched the cheerful bangers and attempted to create a much harder, grim-faced sound and persona which, unfortunately, they are unable to pull off.

‘Different Creatures’ feels typical of a young band, desperate to reinvent themselves in the eyes of their doubters and to appear moodier and more mature. However, this album feels, to me, to be too desperate, it feels almost as if the band are trying far too hard to appear edgier. Tracks like album opener ‘Wake Up’ & second track ‘Fire That Burns’ incorporate heavy bass lines, glum lyrics and sullen guitar hooks in order to instantly indicate to the listener straightaway that “Hey! This is what we are now, deal with it or fuck off.” The 8^th track of the album, ‘Stuck’, feels like a dire Pixies tribute band with its deep, booming bass sound and extremely irritating hook which includes my personal favourite line, the worryingly cringy “Just keep holding on; The sun's been and gone”. I feel a bit sick just typing that to be honest.

There are notes of credit on this new record though, it’s not all doom and gloom. The album’s title track ‘Different Creatures’ still adheres to the apparent new manifesto of the band (moody, moody, moody) yet it is presented in a much less generic, much more exciting and bold way than the other tracks on this record.  ‘A Night on the Broken Tiles’ is another strong track from ‘Different Creatures’, it feels somewhat orchestral and it flows it way seamlessly through the latter end of this album. The final track, ‘Old Friends’, feels much more like the Circa Waves we know. Soft chords with teenage-hijinks influenced lyrics that culminate in a strong end to the album.

Different Creatures’ is certainly a bold, brave move by Circa Waves. They’ve attempted to change their familiar sound with something that is darker and more mysterious, however have ended up coming short in the process. This new album should prove to be a stepping stone for this youthful group, they can view this as a learning curve and attempt to better it next time. Stick to the cheerful bangers from now on lads.

Overall Rating- 5/10

Fave Songs- ‘Different Creatures’, ‘A Night on the Broken Tiles’, ‘Old Friends’

Least Fave Songs- ‘Wake Up’, ‘Fire That Burns’, ‘Stuck’, ‘Crying Shame’