Circa Waves’ latest album was inspired by frontman Kieran Shudall’s life-saving heart surgery.
The indie group had to cancel a number of shows last year when Shudall was hospitalised with viral pericarditis -inflammation around the heart – and he explained that his health scare had considerable influence on the record ‘Death and Love, Part 1’, which is due for release in January 2025.
Kieran told NME: “I thought I might die before I made this record, and then I didn’t, and I got to make an album of music that I loved. The shackles were off, in a way, because I had this newfound joy and excitement for being alive.”
The vocalist and guitarist explained that his “genuinely terrifying” brush with death is covered in the new single ‘We Made It’ and he is particularly grateful for the opportunity to continue making music with bandmates Sam Rourke, Colin Jones and Joe Falconer.
He said: “It was genuinely terrifying. The record covers that in the lyrics a little bit. I’ve got a wife and child, so the idea of leaving them behind was just a mad feeling. The material of the record came out quite quickly because the emotions were so high, I guess.
“You feel like you’re invincible until something like that. That’s the kind of thing that happens to other people, not you. (But) it gave me a new lease of life.”
Kieran added: “Now that’s happened, I look forward to everything a lot more. The idea of going to play another tour or release another record, it’s given me that excitement back.
“This is our sixth album, and I was just so buzzing to go in the studio again and make music with my friends, because you can become a little bit complacent through the years. Everything feels fresh again, which is quite cool. It’s a weird byproduct of thinking you might die.”
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