CIRCA WAVES today announce their fourth studio album SAD HAPPY, due for physical release on March 13, 2020 via Prolifica Inc /[PIAS].
An album of our times, Sad Happy is formed of two diametrically distinctive sides, which will see the Happy side released individually in the new year before uniting as one complete body of work on March 13, 2020. Happy side will be available via streaming platforms from January 10, 2020. The two sides will then be united as a full physical & digitalSad Happy album release on CD and vinyl formats on March 13, 2020.
Lead single “Jacqueline” is unveiled today as the first taste of Sad Happy. Listen here.
An infectious, Soweto-flavored groove, “Jacqueline” is another bold slice of bright, life-affirming pop from the pen of Kieran Shudall, who is establishing himself as one of Britain’s most prolific young songwriters. With its infectious chorus and refrain of “Good times are coming around the bend”, “Jacqueline” is at once instantly recognizable and also another bold sonic leap forward for Circa Waves. It’s a song that’ll sit effortlessly amongst a setlist already brimming with anthems.
Discussing the themes behind Sad Happy, Kieran says: “We live in a world split into two extreme halves. One moment, you’re filled with the existential crisis of climate doom, and the next, you’re distracted by another piece of inconsequential content that has you laughing aloud. I find this close proximity of immense sadness and happiness so jarring, bizarre and fascinating. Our brains rattle back and forth through emotions at such a rate that happiness and sadness no longer feel mutually exclusive. This idea was the blueprint for Sad Happy and is the theme that underpins the album. Sad / Happy is written in my Liverpool home. It’s also hugely inspired by my surroundings and the love I have for the city. It runs through thoughts on mortality, love and observations of people.”
