Circa Waves - Sad Happy (2LP) - 45RPM Gold Vinyl

Circa Waves’ fourth LP, Sad Happy, arrived in 2020 with a neat trick up its sleeve. Rather than dropping the whole thing at once, the Liverpool quartet split it into two parts, Sad in January and Happy in March, then bundled the full album for release on 13 March 2020. It felt like a tidy little mirror held up to everyday whiplash, where you can go from sunlit optimism to restless 3am thoughts in the space of a bus ride. The concept is simple, but it lands because the band keep the songs sharp and human.

By this point Circa Waves were a tight unit, with Kieran Shudall’s bright tenor and hook-first instincts glued to Joe Falconer’s chiming leads, Sam Rourke’s nimble bass and Colin Jones’ punchy drums. They came up in that mid‑2010s indie wave but never lost the knack for a chorus you can belt. Sad Happy leans into that strength while opening the door to more keys and gloss. It’s a step on from the scrappier early singles, and a cleaner, poppier twist after 2019’s What’s It Like Over There?

“Jacqueline” is the earworm that will sell the record to your mate who insists they only listen to guitar bands. It has a big, buoyant refrain that goes down easy but there’s a pinch of salt in the lyrics. That push and pull runs through the album. “Move to San Francisco” plays like a postcard you write but never send, breezy on the surface, anxious underneath. “Be Your Drug” is the proper sugar hit, all propulsive drums and hands‑aloft release. Circa Waves have always been good for radio‑ready singles, yet here the shiny moments are threaded to a theme, so the sugar doesn’t rot your teeth.

The sequencing is canny. You get lift, then you get shade, and the contrast keeps the runtime lively. There’s a crispness to the production that favours Shudall’s vocals and the rhythmic snap, so even when the lyrics sidestep into doubt, the songs feel like they’re moving somewhere. The band sit comfortably in that British tradition where melancholy lives inside bright melodies, something fans of early Two Door Cinema Club or The Vaccines will recognise. Still, there are detours that hint at broader listening. Hints of synth beds, percussive loops tucked under the guitars, harmonies that peek in and out. Nothing fussy, just enough colour to justify the two‑sided idea.

One of the pleasures of Sad Happy is how it stands up to repeat plays. The hooks are immediate, sure, but little details start to stick. A guitar line that curls back on itself. A bass run that lifts the last chorus a notch. It’s the sound of a band who tour hard and know how to make four minutes count. UK outlets like NME and DIY paid close attention to the two‑part roll‑out at the time, and you can hear why. The split isn’t a gimmick. It shapes how you listen, whether you stream it in halves or sit with the full album and ride the mood swings.

On vinyl the concept really clicks. Flip the record and you feel that pivot from one headspace to another, like stepping out of a crowded pub into cool night air. If you’re crate digging and see Sad Happy vinyl next to Young Chasers, you’ll notice how much sleeker the newer record is without losing the band’s scruffy charm. Circa Waves vinyl tends to vanish fast in local shops, so if you’re trying to buy Circa Waves records online, don’t sleep on it. Fans who prefer the tactile route, the sleeve art gives the theme away at a glance, with its split-face grin and frown. It makes a tidy companion to other Circa Waves albums on vinyl, especially if you’re building a little UK indie corner at home.

I spun this again recently after a lazy browse at a Melbourne record store and it hit me how well it captures that awkward optimism of early 2020. Bright mornings, weird afternoons. Songs you can shout along to, then lines that sit in the back of your mind for hours. If you’re in Australia and hunting for vinyl records Australia wide, this is one to keep on your watchlist, because the replay value is high and the package works as a full piece. Sad Happy doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel. It just gives you twelve tight turns of it, with enough heart and smarts to make the ride feel fresh.