The lads from Liverpool go hard on their second effort, embracing a heavy style that may catch their existing fans off guard – and will immediately endear them to Australian rock fans.
Different Creatures captures something of the greatness achieved by now-defunct Melbourne outfit Sleep Parade in their debut Things Can Always Change, with echoes of Circa Survive and even Queens of the Stone Age thrown in for good measure. It also kicks like a mule; never more so than in opener ‘Wake Up’, a mission statement that busts down the door with a Les Paul gripped like an axe.
“But it’s alright,” croons frontman Kieran Shudall, “cause I can’t wait to see the trouble here tonight.” He and his bandmates revel in the new direction, even as it unfolds into more diverse tones and moods across the record. The new edge gives these amiable rockers room to show some depth, and Shudall’s lyrics grapple with everything from the classic themes – youthful passion, love and loss, the daily grind – to masculine vulnerabilities, anxiety, and even the refugee crisis.
Fortunately, they’re not tied to one garage tone, instead getting their indie groove on in the title track, dimming the lights for the Death Cab-style ‘Love’s Run Out’, and the maraca-led ‘A Night On The Broken Tiles’.
Rich and raucous, Different Creatures is old friends in new colours, showing that they’re angrier and wiser than they may have let on.
Circa Waves’ Different Creatures is out now through Dew Process.
