Liverpool’s indie stalwarts Circa Waves have unveiled the second chapter of their ambitious new album, Death & Love Pt.2, slated for release on October 24th via Lower Third/[PIAS]. This unveiling makes the complete 18-track Death & Love album available for pre-order on CD and double gatefold vinyl. To mark this announcement, the band has also dropped the bubbling, laid-back lead single, “Cherry Bomb,” which evokes a Strokes-esque slacker indie vibe, complete with freeform verses leading into a sweet, infectious chorus.
“Cherry Bomb” is an ode to that essential person in your life – someone who would jump into a fight for you, take you for a beer when you’re down, and generally keeps you level. The track and its accompanying video, directed by guitarist Joe Falconer, are both now available.
Lead singer Kieran Shuddall describes it simply:
“It’s all about that person who would do anything for you… someone who is generally a bit of a badass. We all need a cherry bomb in our life.”
The journey towards Death & Love Pt.2 began with Death & Love Pt.1, released in January 2025. That first instalment delved into a profound personal crisis: in early 2023, Kieran Shuddall received a devastating call about a severely blocked artery in his heart. Two days later, he was on an operating table. What followed was a period of cancelled shows, managing new medication, and, crucially, learning to navigate a radically different way of life after his brush with mortality.
This intense experience sparked an unprecedented creative outpouring for Shuddall, so much so that one record simply couldn’t contain it all. “I’d written so much stuff after all the heart incident stuff – there was a release of creativity,” Shuddall admits. He continues, “There were more songs than I’d ever written before, in one furious writing period.” Both albums were produced by Shuddall himself and recorded between a friend’s studio in Finsbury Park and London’s iconic RAK Studios. Shuddall even shares a star-struck moment: “I saw Billie Joe Armstrong in the toilet!” Together, these sister records stand as a testament to bouncing back from potential tragedy.
