Circa Survive Band • Page 88

Yeah I think the rest of the EP is better than "Imposter Syndrome", really nice little EP. I kinda wish they went even harder on the electronics but I like the sounds they explored and think they're all good songs.

 

I like the single, but I’m happy I didn’t pre-order. The rest of the ep is definitely not for me.

 

having been there since the beginning when I reflect on this bands journey, especially at the moment before LP3 became BSN, I always assumed this band would lean into being an indie or more experimental band. But from BSN to Descensus they really decided to amp up the alt rock influences. Those albums are fine but I personally thought it was the wrong move for them probably mostly because of my own listening biases.

Anyways, this EP feels like a window into some alternate universe of the band’s creative impulses that up until this point have been relegated to preproduction jams or demos and not on an actual release of theirs.

For me Amulet was mostly a good to great return to form to the unique sound that they excelled at since always. But at this point I really welcome new directions from them and I honestly feel like they really needed to do it. And Id be excited if they did more of it too.

 

Drift fucking rules.

 

Hot damn. The second half of Our Last Shot.

 

I don't disagree at all with your thoughts on their post-OLG trajectory. Maybe subconsciously I've always had a vague idea of what might've been had they taken the experimental fork in the road in 2009, and it's still a thicker and more melodically adventurous sound than what what we've gotten lately. Thoughts like "why do they even need to be a 5-piece anymore?" run through my head listening to most of this EP (and even the last 2 tracks of the Amulet), but I also understand this release may be a sidebar and not representative of LP7.

 

Damn, I am very impressed by this. It is a very different direction for them, but they pull it off really well and still manage to keep it identifiable as Circa. Not an easy task.

 

goddamnit I cannot find this shit anywhere (including soulseek)

life in a post-kingdom leaks world is bleak

 

I'm on Even Better and this has to be my favorite from the unheard tracks so far. Something about it reminds me of both The Cure and Cocteau Twins and its dreaminess instantly appealed to me. Anthony soars through the whole thing as well.

 

I'm just catching up now, gonna hold off until it's officially out, but Imposter Syndrome is super fuckin cool. Super down to listen to the EP

 

I like it. I've always wanted a left-field release from them and this one is pretty cool. They have been hinting at wanting to put out a chilled-out slow-burner for ages, and this is really well executed! I can't say that it checks all my boxes for what I wanted or expected, but it is very cool regardless. It's nice to be surprised and it's a good lesson in expectation management. I mean, who am I to claim to know what's best for the creative direction of this band?

However, I will say that it's hard for me to fit this into the Circa canon as a legitimate release. I really expected this electronic experimentation to stay in the Patreon realm for the most part, and honestly I think I would have preferred that this style stay somewhat separate from the primary releases. This definitely feels like a risky release. Anyone feel me on that? Like, how will these tracks translate live? They feel destined to be isolated deep-cuts that won't vibe well with their typical live sets. Hmm. I'm honestly shocked that they released this as a follow up to the Amulet. It is going to be divisive to say the least lol.

Interesting that the whole vocal section at the end of Drift is also used in the demo Bye Bye from the Patreon. We've seen it before, like how a lot of the lyrics from Mandala were originally used in the early Act Appalled demos.

 

Dig the single. Cant wait to hear the whole ep.

 

yeah Drift is one of my faves off the EP but I like Bye Bye even more. theres several other tracks theyve put up on the patreon that arent here that I may enjoy more also. wonder if those will be on the next LP or not, they are good tracks.

 

listening to this more and this thing is actually very dense. on average theres 3 or 4 non drum instrument tracks going on at once. i actually think the songs could have benefited a little more if the instrumentation went a little more minimalist here and there. if they played this live each of the guitarists would be equipped with synths and a sampler for the processed parts. what im saying is - it would take all 5 of them (and then some) to perform these tracks.

 

Yep agreed. People still equate synths with “basic” instrumentation for some reason when that’s certainly not the case a lot of the time.

 

I'm having some cognitive dissonance with this thing. I definitely like it, but I think I just don't recognize it as Circa. This is comparable to something like From Indian Lakes' sonic shifts from album to album, but I'm not having the same immediate love of ADAL as I did for Dimly Lit. I think I don't love how industrial ADAL is at parts (NIN-ish even). I think Joey was able to execute this style better. I feel similarly to HRVRD frontman's current project Foreign Air. The move to electronic just didn't work for me.

 

Electric Moose on the Patreon is better than any of these imo

 

FIL and Joe Vann rule so hard. Hard agree.

 

I don't really feel this is the much of a shift or departure from them. I went from listening to this to The Amulet the other day and it didn't feel jarring at all or like a switch to a different band, it fits right along as a progression from (parts of) that album.

 

my cognitive dissonance is im actually super happy for them to do something new with some influence from a genre that i enjoy - but also i dont love these songs for some simple reasons (not because of the fact that they are electronic)

 

I really really like the groove of the back half of sleep well. A VENGEFUL GOD.

 

Where’s everyone hearing this?

 

Links accidentally went out to people who ordered directly from Rise, I assume it's on the sites wherever leaks are these days.

 

OK I'm warming up to some of this. The stretch from Our Last Shot to Gone for Good has a lot going for it that took some listens to pick up.

 

Imposter and Sleep Well are the standouts for me.

I think the production on this is really great overall. People who have been fatigued by the last three Studio 4 Circa records will probably welcome this. They don't bother me personally, but I see a lot of people poo-pooing their "muddiness" and I can see where they're coming from. When I think Circa, I think dueling, howling, off-kilter guitar riffs sitting on top of a filthy, proggy drum and bass groove. This EP is not exactly that, but it does still kinda-sorta hit like that in places. It's growing on me for sure, but obviously I still miss the absolute SLAP of the first half of Juturna. That is just such a fucking rip.

Anthony sounds really good on every track. Yip has really figured out how to use his falsetto to perfection. Plenty of screaming/growling mixed with super clean crooning should please everyone I think. This is just how Anthony sounds now, and I still love it.