Circa Waves want you to be resilient

'Never Going Under' may be a mantra, a motto, or a call to resilience. But first and foremost, it is the title of Circa Waves' fifth studio album.
The Liverpudlian band, one of the foremost exponents of British-style indie rock, has returned to offer a sonic snapshot of the future, the fears and insecurities that come with it, and the world that we will be leaving to our children in fifteen years.

'The record came about mainly while we were on lockdown', says Kieran Shudall, the band's frontman. "It is very rock and roll, with lots of guitar solos and drums.
I think the fact that we haven't been able to do a lot of gigs and play live in the last few years has automatically pushed us into making a project that we wanted to bring to the stage. 'Never Going Under' is an invitation to resilience because we have been through some crazy times. The pandemic was a good time to stop and reflect on ourselves and think optimistically about the future". 
For the group, it was also fundamental on a creative level. "Before this madness, we had been touring for seven years. Every time we stopped playing, we went back into the studio to record a new album and then we went back out on the road. We came back with what we think is a much more rocking sound than the previous LPs.

I'm willing to ask him what has been the most complex aspect of the making of this new record. 'With the guys (the band ed.) we didn't see each other as much as we would have liked. When you're all working together you're always exchanging a lot of feedback and constantly comparing notes, ideas, and thoughts on the direction you want to take with a particular song. During the pandemic, we were only able to talk via email. The way we kept in touch during those hard times changed profoundly. It made me feel even more isolated and separated from the rest of the group. In those moments you get so many doubts because you don't understand if you enjoy the song you're working on or if you're doing something that makes you happy'.

But how is it possible to make our lives on this planet less hellish?
Kieran looks at me and laughs, picking up on the reference to 'Hell On Earth', just a small part of the album released last August.
'Don't watch the news. Avoid social media at all costs and go for a walk. Breathe, and try to cultivate relationships with people you like and who are nice to you. Surround yourself with nice people who don't say negative things about you, but know how to love and support you. Don't take things too seriously, just enjoy life'.

Goals aside, we start talkin about festival culture and their place in British culture.
'The idea of writing a song in the walls of my room and hearing thirty thousand people singing it at the top of their lungs... nothing beats that feeling. We'll be playing around the UK and Scotland again (the band also recently announced four dates in Australia), but I can't tell you which festivals we'll be playing yet. We did Reading & Leeds last year and I don't know if we'll do it again. I hope so'.

Before we say goodbye, after discussing how to make sense of the present without worrying about the future, I ask him what he'd tell himself if he could go back to 2015, the year Circa Waves debuted with their pop-rock LP 'Young Chasers'. 
'I would try to be less hard on myself. When I first started making music, I desperately wanted to be the best rock star in the world. Eventually, I realised that you don't have to play like Bono to be a good artist'.


Words: Alessia Bisini

Photo Credits: Press

Editorial Coordinator: Emanuele Camilli

Publicist (for Italy): Ilaria Monti/SpinGo!

Disclaimer: The original version of this feature appeared on the Italian publication HeyJude Magazine on Jan. 17th 2023.