Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Everything comes in waves, the relentless, the powerful and the seriously cool; it could be arguably seen as nature’s way of improving the mind’s relationship with the world when the whirlpool of life threatens to take you under and pound you into submission. The waves reflect on a certain kind of majesty, the lasting thought that the world is not our own and we cannot control tide nor Time, these Different Creatures are what make the world turn so spectacularly.
Liverpool’s Circa Waves relish in the tidal wash, they have made the most of Time and Different Creatures is surely to be seen as an allusion to the fact that this particular creature is meaty, has a stomach for a fight and whilst the underlying charm of the band has not been taken away, they now have the body of Poseidon, they are to be surely seen as more than what they were, a very enjoyable band with great songs, now they are rippling with muscles and ready to smack the tide and the myriad of beings that stand in their way.
Different Creatures is muscular, there is no getting away from that fact, there is a feeling of absolute perspiration, of a sweat induced workout and the pumping of electricity within the group ethic; the natural progression of a group who know that their fanbase is willing them to grow and become a barrier against tide but who will also allow Time to be on their side.
In tracks such as the opening song Wake Up, the album title track Different Creatures, Crying Shame, the fantastic A Night On The Broken Tiles and Out on My Own, Circa Waves have taken a gigantic and tremendous step into the unknown and come out the other side with polish, gravitas and an abiding sense of evolution. Tide and Time are entities not to be messed with but the Circa Waves have weapons at their disposal to at least take them both to task and the beauty of waves rippling with ease against the finest sand is not to be wasted; it is to plunged straight into and immersed fully within.
Different Creatures is the crashing wave of Time made clear and it an album in which to appreciate completely.
Ian D. Hall