Liverpool indie favourites Circa Waves have shared their brand new single Old Balloons, a heartfelt reflection on the dislocation of touring and the ache of leaving home behind. The track is lifted from Death & Love Pt.2, the second chapter of their ambitious two-part project, which arrives on 24th October. Both chapters will be brought together on the same day as a full 18-track album on CD and double gatefold vinyl.
Circa Waves
Frontman Kieran Shudall describes Old Balloons as rooted in those early years of chasing dreams across the Atlantic: “It’s about being homesick on our first US tours. It’s the strange feeling of leaving home with the hope of ‘making it in America’, but knowing that if you do you will be home even less.”
The new single follows January’s Cherry Bomb, a laid-back burst of slacker indie energy, and continues the story that began on Death & Love Pt.1. That first record was written in the aftermath of Shudall’s life-altering heart surgery in 2023, when doctors discovered a severe blockage in a major artery. The experience forced the cancellation of shows and months of recovery, but also ignited a creative outpouring. “I’d written so much stuff after all the heart incident stuff – there was a release of creativity,” says Shudall. “There were more songs than I’d ever written before, in one furious writing period.”
The result is a pair of albums recorded between a friend’s studio in Finsbury Park and London’s legendary RAK Studios, where Circa Waves found themselves sharing corridors (and even toilets) with the likes of Green Day and Muse.
If Part 1 wrestled with mortality and fear, Death & Love Pt.2 carries a more defiant, euphoric spirit. “It almost feels like if the first record was before the operation and death and fear of dying, then one is coming through the other side,” Shudall explains. “It’s about love, life, survival and euphoria.”
Circa Waves @ Barrowland Ballroom
Since forming in Liverpool in 2013, Circa Waves have steadily built a reputation as one of Britain’s most enduring indie outfits. Their debut Young Chasers hit the UK Top Ten in 2015 on the strength of festival favourites T-Shirt Weather and Stuck In My Teeth, while 2020’s Sad Happy climbed to number four in the charts. More recently, 2023’s Never Going Under cemented their reputation for crafting anthems that balance urgency with vulnerability.
To mark the release of Death & Love Pt.2, the band will play a special headline show at Assembly Hall, Worthing on 24th October, raising funds for crucial NHS services as part of the NHS My Music initiative.
With Old Balloons, Circa Waves continue to soundtrack the highs and lows of modern life – never shying away from fear and fragility, but always finding joy, connection and another chorus worth shouting back.
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