Circa Waves Whats It Like Over There Cover Art
At this point, it wouldn't be too unfair to propose that Circa Waves are running on fumes. Theirs is an archetypal example of the indie boom and bust that's become so predictable with depressing efficiency, with their debut Young Chasers being what took them to the stars for a brief summer, Different Creatures being a decent follow-up that couldn't compensate for wavering interest, and at present What's It Like Over There? attempting to brush up any broken pieces and get together something. More than than nigh though, it's easy to experience sorry for Circa Waves; dissimilar many of their indie peers in 2015, they never had the pretensions of grandeur that made a band like Catfish And The Bottlemen so unlikable, and a way around a decent indie-pop hook that could get in and out with minimal fuss set them on some stable basis. But times change and obviously that ground is collapsing, and for a band whose stock has been in freefall for basically years at this bespeak, What's It Like Over There? feels like a terminal-ditch try to agree off total implosion for at least a scrap longer.
How much longer, though, is a bit of an open up question, considering even for those who haven't been keeping up with where Circa Waves have gone, this feels similar a pretty slight heed that doesn't practice the band a whole lot of favours. As much equally Different Creatures saw them calculation some darker shades into what had been an almost perennially sunny parcel (and did so quite well, to exist fair), What's It Similar Over There? equally a next step lacks whatever sort of grace or depth that could come from taking those ideas further again, with the results being but another indie anthology that doesn't stick around also long and rarely brings any comprehensive ideas to combat that. It distinctly feels like a band treading water, and in almost every attribute of its existence at that.
The most breathy occurrence of this is in how so footling of this album feels similar it has whatever sort of identity. Apart from the sole outlier of Movies whose sunnier skip is probably the but moment reminiscent of the foundations that Circa Waves congenital their sound on, What's It Similar Over There? is awash with derivative, paint-by-numbers indie tropes that but seem here to get something downward on tape, not accelerate any creative progression. The fact that it's all such a mess doesn't help hither either, as the ring pull from about half-a-dozen recognisable sources when trying to cobble together something distinctive, but it only highlights how little they're actually doing with them beyond overlaying a fresh song take over these incredibly well-established formulae. There are certainly standout moments amidst these, like the pulsating new wave balladry of The Way We Say Adieu or the booming riff-rock of Saviour, just those two alone underline how piffling consistency or synergy with itself this album really has. That's obviously an issue, peculiarly when considering in that location's no clear indication of the ring that Circa Waves want to be at whatever point, just for the most function, it's but not that well executed. This used to be a band defined past a sense of tightness and spry energy, then to meet tracks like Sorry I'k Yours and Me, Myself And Hollywood lumber by under fat slabs or percussion, or the clanging looseness of Times Won't Change Me jingle past with inert pianos feels incredibly disappointing. Alongside production that's about as colourless and unremarkable as you'd expect from modern indie in this stripe, Circa Waves attempt at reinventing themselves here feels similar a wildly misguided failure.
And it'due south non worth focusing in on the writing to take whatsoever of the rut off, because that's clearly non going to happen. Circa Waves have never been all that profound equally lyricists (office of the reason why they tin can feel so faceless among other indie bands afflicted past the aforementioned upshot), but What's Information technology Like Over At that place? reeks of the same low bar as the residuum of the album, rarely venturing beyond a condom coterie of themes that connect well enough, but experience so drained of vigour and season, pretty much like the band themselves. Certain, information technology'due south hard to begrudge an anthology like keeping its criterion at nostalgic onetime honey, and in that regard, tracks like Movies and Passport do a good plenty job, but it's hardly plenty to keep this anthology adrift, especially when you'd be hard-pressed to find an interesting lyrical twist or motif that really does annihilation of increased value.
Put every factor together, and What's Information technology Like Over There? is the unequivocal dying jiff of a ring that could've offered a lot more. There's no faith gone into this album, at to the lowest degree compared to previous efforts; it'due south not interesting to heed to or dissect, and at only 10 tracks (i of which is the instrumental intro), Circa Waves haven't fifty-fifty given it the space to be. That's probably the most disappointing thing here, that Circa Waves take barely fifty-fifty attempted to brand this a decent album rather than a torso of piece of work that tin continue the wheels chugging for just a bit longer, something that speaks much more negatively of the revolving door system of the indie hype automobile than the band themselves. That's non to say they're totally absolved from blame though, considering they're certainly capable of more than this.
iv/10
For fans of: Sundara Karma, Blossoms, The Hunna
Words by Luke Nuttall
'What'southward Information technology Like Over There?' by Circa Waves is out now on PIAS.
Source: https://thesoundboardreviews.com/2019/04/08/album-review-whats-it-like-over-there-by-circa-waves/
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