CD of The Week

Circa Waves - Death & Love Pt. 1 (Lower Third / PIAS)

Liverpool rockers Circa Waves are back with their sixth full-length album, Death & Love Pt. 1. The album title and many of the lyrics were inspired by singer Kieran Shudall’s near-death experience in 2023, when he had emergency heart surgery. Self-produced by Shudall, it finds him glad to be alive, while paying musical homage to the group’s guitar-rock heroes.

Death & Love Pt.1 kicks off with the widescreen alt rock of “American Dream,” a wide-eyed trip to the U.S. for “an English boy with an American dream,” while walking through Central Park. “Like You Did Before” owes a debt to The Strokes and The Kooks, while single “We Made It” is set to ’00s U2 skyscraping guitars, as Shudall celebrating being alive and the success of his band.

The fun “Le Bateau” and bouncy “Let’s Leave Together” both bring Phoenix’s light touch and vibe to the record. “Hold It Steady” is a twinkling slow dance about being ready to say goodbye. The record closes with “Bad Guys Always Win,” an unfortunate and incredibly timely sentiment of a song title, even though the jaunty track is actually a tale of lost love.

With just nine songs in a half hour, perhaps a part two to Death & Love is on the way at some point? But part one gives us a portrait of a musician who is glad to get a second chance at life and using it to make art filled with gratitude.

Circa Waves play Union Transfer in Philadelphia on April 20th.
Review by Joey O.