Circa Waves on ‘Death & Love, Pt. 1’: “I thought I might die before I made this record”

nme.com:

Circa Waves have shared new single ‘We Made It’ to announce their sixth album ‘Death & Love, Part 1’ – inspired by frontman Kieran Shuddall undergoing emergency heart surgery that saved his life.

Check it out below along with our interview with the singer.The Liverpool indie stars were forced to cancel several shows in January 2023 when Shuddall was urgently admitted to hospital for surgery for viral pericarditis, an inflammation of the heart.

The success of the operation and his subsequent live-for-the-moment mindset has deeply influenced the revivified new album, due on January 31.“I thought I might die before I made this record,” Shuddall told NME, “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.”Ahead of the album – and a UK and Europe tour in February 2025 – Circa Waves release the first single ‘We Made It’, a punchy pop rock anthem celebrating Shuddall’s recovery.“The chorus lyric says, ‘Every silver lining is a gold mine’,” he said of the song. “Having such a mad thing happen to me in my life has made me appreciate everything else so much more and a lot of the record mirrors that sentiment.”Check out our full interview with Shuddall below, where he tells us about savouring life after his brush with death, and what to expect from ‘Death & Love, Part 1’.NME: Hello Keiran.