Circa Waves frontman Kieran Shudall speaks with Kyle Meredith about Sad Happy, the band’s quick follow up to 2019’s What’s It Like Over There. The liverpool-based leader dives into the quick turnaround, his writing process, and how he sees this LP as a set to find out who the band really is after blasting off just a few years ago while having to discover their sound in the public eye. Kieren gets into the duality of the album title, it’s ties to growing up in Liverpool, the hard life of touring and the effect it has on musicians, driving some to substance abuse and suicide. Furthermore, themes of class divide work their way into the music as the band becomes more politically vocal, siding with Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party in the recent UK election and comparing his platform to that of Bernie Sanders in the US. Shudall also discusses being a new parent, striving for a more artistic choices over more safer sounds, taking inspiration from The Weeknd, and what to expect from the band’s upcoming Circa Fest, which focuses on Liverpool bands and sheds a light on the closing of small venues across the entire country.
Listen to the interview above and then check out the videos below.