Liverpool is home to one of the most thriving music scenes in Britain. The Beatles may have drawn attention to the Merseyside town, but the likes of Echo and the Bunnymen, Frankie Goes to Hollywood and even Atomic Kitten have come from the land of scouse. Circa Waves are the most recent band that Liverpool has produced after meeting at Merseyside’s own Liverpool Sound City festival back in 2013. The indie-rock quartet last week released their debut album, Young Chasers, recorded late summer last year but released just in time to be the soundtrack to your spring and summer this year.
NME Awards Tour
Last summer I made Circa Waves Kettle’s Band of the Week after being blown away by their cracking performance on the NME Awards Tour, which showcases the best upcoming talent from the music world in Britain. Opening a gig is always difficult as you have to grab the audience’s attention, get them in the mood for the rest of the night and be memorable enough that the audience walk away at the end with your rhythms still stuck in their heads. The young band certainly achieved this with their jaunty guitar riffs, catchy lyrics and upbeat tempo that meant they held their own amidst brilliant bands such as the rock monsters Royal Blood. They also certainly put to shame the awful Interpol and Temples who both lacked lustre when compared to the bouncy performance Circa Waves gave.
Young Chasers
As soon as you hear the rushing guitar riffs and fast-paced drumming of the opening song ‘Get Away’ you know exactly what to expect from this album – a complete blast! There is no hint of either the hip-hop or dance edge that is currently tainting popular music; Young Chasers is an album that is pure indie-rock. The band’s passion for music really comes across, however their sound is not exactly unlike anything you would have heard before. The whole album consists of three minute pop songs dominated by jaunty guitar riffs, quick drum rhythms and catchy lyrics, something you would expect from the likes of The Wombats, The Vaccines and The Kooks. Although their sound may not be exactly original, they have taken these several influences and created something really enjoyable.
Boyish Charm
The album has quite a boyish charm to it. With a buoyant tone and lyrics about girls, summer and being young, it will certainly strike a chord with young adults across the country. Bursting full with happiness and joy, it is perfect listening material for a trip to the beach in the summer heat, and will soon get you dancing gleefully like an idiot. Although the lyrics are clearly youthful, just listen to ‘I am a little too young, without enough time’, Young Chasers is quite refreshing and enjoyable to listen to for all. Unfortunately about half of the album gets lost amidst the jaunty beats menacing you are unable to distinguish which song is which, but there are some highlights including the wonderful ‘Get Away’, jubilant ‘Stuck in my Teeth’ and joyful ‘Good For Me’, all of which have easy lyrics to sing along with and bouncing rhythms to get you dancing.
Young Chasers may not be pushing any boundaries, but it is certainly enjoyable and a great debut album from a promising young band. Some of the album gets lost sounding quite similar, but there are some brilliant singles on it that will put a grin on your face no matter how rainy it is outside. Perfect for the summer, it will be the soundtrack to every teenager’s sunshine days.
Young Chasers by Circa Waves is available to buy now. What do you think of the album? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us!
