The pandemic certainly had an influence on Never Going Under, the latest record from the British-based Circa Waves, but fatherhood clearly had a much bigger influence. Frontman Kieren Shuddall, who also produced the album, became a dad for the first time during the pandemic and you can hear those themes – everything from optimism to worry – threaded throughout the 11 songs here.
Shuddall does an impressive job here as producer, making the four-piece sound like they have the numbers of Arcade Fire or the Polyphonic Spree. Parenthood is even reflected in the album title. “Never Going Under speaks to that uniquely modern phenomenon of genuinely not knowing what type of world our kids are going to find themselves in in 30 years. Physically, environmentally, politically – we are completely in the unknown,” he says.
“Carry You Home” is probably the most straightforward example of a song about being a new father, while on “Northern Town” Shuddall sings about his own father’s experience as a new dad. But themes aside, this is still very much a Circa Waves album musically, with that same blend of Strokes/Artic Monkeys Indie Pop, with plenty of post-punk spiked guitars added for good measure. Leaning into the synths, “Do You Wanna Talk” is one of their most dance-friendly pop tracks yet while the opening, title track boasts some of their earlier garage rock pedigree.
Musically the band takes some really big swings here on songs like “Hell On Earth,” easily one of their best tracks in years, and the beautifully soaring “Living In the Grey”; and those experiments almost always pay off. Impressively, the band pairs those musical gambles with some of their most personal lyrics yet, singing about fatherhood, expectations of masculinity and showing vulnerability. This new creative spark and lyrical enlightenment makes for Circa Wave’s most ambitious record so far in a career that is already pretty notable.
