This month, Circa Waves will release the first half of their new album project, as “Death & Love Pt. 1” lands on January 31st.
However, the build-up has not been smooth sailing, with frontman Kieran Shudall undergoing emergency lifesaving heart treatment at the start of 2023.
It was at these most testing times that Shudall found himself appreciating life and his new “live for the moment” attitude spawned new creative ideas.
We chatted to Kieran about the new record and the challenging circumstances surrounding it.
We discuss the band’s upcoming tour, their hometown of Liverpool, and plenty more.
NC: Asking “how are you?” is a standard introduction but it feels a lot more poignant in this conversation. How are you getting on now, are you feeling healthy?
Kieran: “Yes, I’m fine. I’m getting used to life on the medication but I see it in the same way that people take a vitamin in the morning, instead I just take stuff to keep my heart healthy. Life is similar really, I sometimes forget that it even happened.”
NC: You’ve gone through many album processes, has this been challenging and inspiring in equal measure?
Kieran: “Yeah I think heightened emotion brings out good melodies. If you think about the big breakup records like “Adele 21” or something, the emotion brings with it great music. When I was going through these hard times there were a lot of big feelings and fears of leaving my family behind. The only positive of that was I found it quite easy to write the record because I had all this stuff I wanted to say and get out of my system. So I wrote two records quite quickly, some of it relating to my heart problems and then generally reminiscing on my life really.”
NC: “Life & Death” will be released in two parts, what was the thinking behind this and what differentiates the two records?
Kieran: “I just wrote loads of music and I didn’t want to condense it into one record. Part one is probably the most relevant in terms of what happened to me. And I suppose in this day and age with streaming the choice is yours on how you want to release it. We did it before with “Sad Happy”, but this feels like a wider project and I wanted to release all of the material in the best way possible.”
NC: You’ve often not stuck to a traditional approach when it comes to album releases and tracklist length. Has this been a conscious decision to experiment with the formula?
Kieran: “We broke through when streaming came into fruition properly. I remember we got sent the first versions of Spotify and it just felt amazing for the listening experience, but obviously less amazing for the artists. I grew up buying CDs, I worked in HMV and bought a new CD every week. That was my way of consuming music. Then to be able to have every song available was a new world. So we came up through that time and we’ve had amazing management and labels who have let us decide how we want to release the next record or EPs. It’s been really fun to experiment a bit and because I write so much we can throw music out there in different formats.”
NC: “American Dream” opens the album. You’ve released it already but I imagine there is quite a bit of conversation around what you want to open an album with. What was the thought process this time, as it builds nicely into an impactful opening track?
Kieran: “I think there are a couple of ways of doing an opener. Some people go for the slow opener and then the second track is in your face. As soon as I wrote “American Dream”, the big snare hit felt like a good gig opener. When we finished it we decided it would be perfect for the record. It was the same process for Part 2, I wrote another with a cool gig opener feel so that’s going to open the second record. You just sort of have a feeling when you write a song that “this is an opener”. And also the idea being an American dream when we’re younger hoping to become somebody, it just felt a cool place to start the record.”
NC: “Like You Did Before” was another single. You said that when you were in hospital you were thinking about “sweaty indie dance floors” and this song was the result, so tell us about that thought process?
Kieran: “When I was in hospital, I was thinking about if I was ever going to make one more record, what would it be? And I thought If I’m true to myself, the records I loved growing up were in the early noughties – The National, The Strokes, early Arctics stuff. So I wanted to make an energetic indie record that would fit those indie nightclub dancefloors where we used to go out. I don’t know if I can be arsed dancing around those nightclubs now though, I’m getting old. It’s more just reminiscing on those times and I’m making a record that felt like it could fit in those places.”
NC: How difficult is it for you as an indie band do go down that route, as they often have a solid fanbases who can criticise you for straying too far away from what they know, but then bands get criticism for not exploring sonically. How do you find balancing that?
Kieran: “That’s a good question. I think that’s something we’ve struggled with over the years. I struggle to write in one style. There are bands whose records sounds similar but with us I don’t think that’s the case. The bands I’ve always loved have been like that too, like The Beatles and Fleetwood Mac who constantly evolved and changed. I remember when we did the second record, it was a lot heavier, and we certainly lost a bunch of people who just loved us for the summery indie. So it’s hard because you want to stay true to yourself and write stuff that you like, but we are certainly aware that if we want to sell venues out, we’ve got to please the fans too. I just try and write songs that I like and then hope that everyone else likes it, and it’s worked to an extent. If we’d have done Young Chasers 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, maybe we’d be a bigger band or maybe we wouldn’t exist anymore. I have no idea. It’s unlikely you’re going to write the same sorts of songs when you’re 20 and 30, right? Like if you write a diary when you’re 16 and then 26, it’s very different, and songs are just diary entries in a way.”
NC: You’re heading out on your biggest headline tour to date, 10 years on from the debut record. Have you had time to reflect on this milestone?
Kieran: “I do think about it the older the band gets, I’ve started to reminisce more and reflect on how lucky we’ve been. That album took us around the world three times in one year. We’ve played so many festivals and so many great places, like Japan seven times, Australia five times, Mexico six times. We just feel so fortunate. You write a couple of stupid songs and then end up travelling the world for 10 years. So I do reminisce on it and I think we all do as we as the band goes on. An indie band is a finite thing, it’s not going to last forever, so you try and enjoy it while you’re in the moment. I just moved house and found some old NME clippings from 2013 saying we were the next Arctic Monkeys and all these wild things, which didn’t happen obviously but it’s just cool to look back and be like what a mad ride this has been.”
NC: Did you think you’d still be doing these big shows in 10 years time back in 2013?
Kieran: “No, not really. I would take every year as it came when we first started. I was in failed bands for about 12 years before Circa Waves got signed so I was ready to go back to work at any time. I was like this is not gonna last, but I feel lucky, It’s been very cool. I hope all the kids listen to the records and start bands as well, because being in a band is an awesome experience.”
NC: How difficult is it now with 10 years worth of music when you’re coming up with setlist, juggling different chapters of Circa Waves for the new tour?
Kieran: “I was just thinking about the setlist this morning. I was trying to think of how many songs is an appropriate amount to play for six albums. And also how long can I physically sing for because my voice is quite temperamental. Sam Fender was getting grief because he did 15/16 songs. But vocal chords get damaged so easily and they need to be looked after. I think we will just play it by ear and try to get a good amount from each record. I went to see Paul McCartney the other night, he played for 2hrs 45 mins. He’s 82, it’s remarkable. He’s obviously got this depth of of catalogue that allows for a bigger set but he still didn’t play “Yesterday” and “Back in the USSR” which is nuts.”
NC: You’re ending the tour at Liverpool Olympia. How important has the city been for you as a band coming through?
Kieran: “I’ve felt more connected to Liverpool as the band has gone on really. I’ve realised there’s always a song on the record that is specifically about Liverpool. On “Death & Love Pt 1” there’s a song called “The Bateau” which is about a club that was in Liverpool. On the previous record there is a song called “Northern Town”, which is about people from Liverpool. I think the more I travel around the world, the more I realise how much I love Liverpool as a city and how connected I feel to the people. We don’t really sound like a Liverpool band. When we first started it sounded more like the American/New York indie scene. Over time I think people have grown to like us from Liverpool which has been really cool for me because you always want to be accepted by your own. I have an endless amount of love for Liverpool and I’ve had plenty of opportunities to move to London or elsewhere. But I just want to stay here, I love it.”
NC: Are you still in touch with the local scene now, has it been a supportive network?
Kieran: “I don’t go to gigs in Liverpool that much anymore. I’ve got two kids now and when I’m off the last thing I want to be doing is going to a gig. But I think the scene’s great. I’ve wrote with Jamie Webster, Stone, Miles Kane. Working with these artists feels like you’re building an alternative scene and I feel like the next big band could be from Liverpool. I don’t know why but I just feel like that’s going to happen. There are a lot of cool people here – the lads at Kempston Street are doing great things and there are a few others doing great production work. Liverpool generally is not an expensive place to live so you can have a studio here for relatively cheap compared to most cities and hopefully this keeps the scene growing. I keep seeing more and more young scouse bands popping up on TikTok. I see some and just think these lads are good. We are getting close to it, I think Fontaines D.C. and Wunderhorse are inspiring young kids to pick up a guitar. So I think the next Oasis are just around the corner. Hopefully they’re from the north but it could come from anywhere I guess!”
NC: You mentioned “Le Bateau” which is probably the stand-out track for me. Are there any other album tracks you’re excited for fans to hear?
Kieran: “Our drummer’s favourite is “Le Bateau”, he loves playing it. “Hold It Steady” is more of a ballad and I love that one. I just have a feeling that the chorus will resonate with people. There’s also a song called “Let’s Leave Together” which I think will be the next single. I feel like it is classic Circa Waves, a summery bop. I’m biased though of course because I wrote them!”
Circa Waves’ new album, “Death & Love Pt. 1”, is out January 31st, with Pt. 2 following later this year. Head to Circa Waves for more information, tickets, and pre-order details.
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