Circa Waves Death & Love
Circa Waves's Death & Love channels a brush with mortality into sunlit, post-punk energy, turning anxious stakes into rock-club romance and elation. Across three professional reviews the record earned a 76.67/100 consensus score, with critics repeatedly citing the strength of its hooks and the album's balance of melancholy and celebration of life.
Critics consistently praise standout tracks such as Stick Around, Lost In The Fire and Cherry Bomb as the best songs on Death & Love. Reviewers note that Stick Around anchors the record with an irresistible chorus and festival-ready momentum, while Lost In The Fire supplies brooding lyrical honesty about mortality. Cherry Bomb emerges as an immediate single thanks to its sticky chorus and vibrant riffs, and quieter moments like Sweet, Simple Thing add narrative closure by celebrating family and parenthood.
The critical consensus highlights a taut sequencing that lets danceable moments and catchy pop hooks coexist with darker themes of resilience and melancholy. While some reviewers emphasize jubilant transformation of dread into ecstatic rock and give the album higher marks, others flag uneven tonal shifts; overall professional reviews agree that the record’s combination of sunny indie-rock and emotional depth makes Death & Love a compelling, often standout entry in the band’s catalog. Read on for detailed reviews below to decide if Death & Love is worth your next listen.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Le Bateau
1 mention
""Le Bateau," where the band's driving guitar riffs bring to mind a perfect amalgam of the Cars"— AllMusic
Cherry Bomb
2 mentions
"Opening with a bubbly keyboard, “Cherry Bomb” is less frantic"— PopMatters
Lost In The Fire
2 mentions
"“Lost in the Fire” is one of Circa Waves’ hardest rockers"— PopMatters
"Le Bateau," where the band's driving guitar riffs bring to mind a perfect amalgam of the Cars
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
American Dream
Like You Did Before
We Made It
Le Bateau
Hold It Steady
Let's Leave Together
Blue Damselfly
Everything Changed
Bad Guys Always Win
Lost In The Fire
Stick Around
Cherry Bomb
Ten Outta Ten
Love Me For The Weekend
Sunbeams
Old Balloons
Sweet Simple Thing
Wave Goodbye
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 4 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
Liverpool's Circa Waves take a brush with mortality and transmute it into jubilant songs on Death & Love, where the best tracks - notably Le Bateau and Stick Around - turn dread into ecstatic rock. The reviewer's voice revels in how Kieran Shudall's near-death experience fuels both lyric and riff, so the best songs on Death & Love feel like deathbed dreams that want one more night of wild-eyed fun. There is joy in restraint and appetite in the playing, and that is why listeners will point to Le Bateau and Stick Around as the album's standout moments.
Key Points
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The best song, Le Bateau, best channels the album's ecstatic blend of Cars-style new wave and Strokes-like indie rock.
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The album's core strength is turning a near-death experience into buoyant, life-affirming rock with emotional directness.
Themes
Critic's Take
Circa Waves's Death & Love continues the band's run of catchy, modern Britpop with several clear highlights, led by the hard-rocking Lost in the Fire and the infectious Stick Around. The reviewer praises how the record is front-loaded with the catchiest tunes and singles out Cherry Bomb for its sticky chorus and slyly ominous lyric, all in service of a larger, melancholy arc. Even as the album drifts into moodier terrain with tracks like Sunbeams and Sweet Simple Thing, the sequencing and strong pop songwriting keep Death & Love among the best pop albums of the year. This is an album whose best songs - namely Lost in the Fire and Stick Around - make a persuasive case for why the good guys have won again.
Key Points
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The best song(s) like Lost in the Fire and Stick Around are standout because of their hard-rock energy and irresistible hooks.
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The album’s core strengths are catchy modern Britpop songwriting, strong sequencing, and a melancholy narrative that closes beautifully.
Themes
mu
Critic's Take
Emma C Harrison keeps it upbeat and observant when pointing to the best tracks on Death & Love. She names CherryBomb as an immediate single with "relaxed instrumentation, vibrant riffs and catchy choruses", and highlights Lost In The Fire for its brooding, honest lyrics about mortality. The reviewer also elevates acoustic moments like Sweet, Simple Thing, where strings and soft vocals turn parenthood into something beautiful. Overall the piece reads as affectionate and clear-eyed: Circa Waves know how to make festival-ready bangers while finding tenderness in life’s darker turns.
Key Points
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The best song, CherryBomb, is the immediate, catchy single that exemplifies Circa Waves’ sun-soaked indie sound.
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The album’s strengths are festival-ready, energetic melodies balanced with sincere, intimate moments about mortality and family.