Liverpool four-piece Circa Waves continue to make exuberant, radio-friendly indie rock that deserves more attention. I don't understand how The 1975 are so popular, and these guys are not as big yet? The group's new record came out on Friday, and Never Going Under is more of what we've come to love from this lot.
Bright keyboard washes anchor "Hell on Earth", a big one here, while a listener might recall The Dandy Warhols are this one kicks off, while "Do You Wanna Talk" is even more peppy and tightly constructed. The players -- Kieran Shudall (vocals, guitar), Sam Rourke (bass), Colin Jones (drums), and Joe Falconer (guitar) -- imbue even the more formulaic material here ("Your Ghost") with enough youthful energy that one sort of gets sucked in by the band's energy. This is all stuff that sounds big, and made for the radio, but I don't fault the band for doing that. I think they've wisely harnassed their own power and sharpened their attack here on Never Going Under and the album feels more concise as a result. And that's saying something considering their last appearance saw them dropping a record in two pieces.
At their best here, like on the heartfelt "Carry You Home", Circa Waves offer up big, big alt-rock of the sort refined by The Killers early in their own career. This tune, for example, is wildly catchy, and pretty good for something that's this mainstream (even if it's heart is in the alt-rock world). Where the whole thing gets interesting is when Circa Waves get a little pensive, looking back at their roots in Liverpool ("Northern Town"), or wondering about life itself ("Living in the Grey"). On these cuts, and a few others on the second half of the record, the band finds a way to add emotion to what is sleek and shiny modern rock. The band's at its best here, and these numbers elevate what was already a tight and punchy record into something special indeed.
Never Going Under is out now. More details via CircaWaves.com.
[Photo: Uncredited Circa Waves press photo]