Enmore-based genre jumping duo Circle are back!
With multiple records and an EP under their belt, as well as airplay across Australia and the US, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Circle might be resting on their laurels and sticking to what they know their audience likes. However, with their latest record, ‘Another 69 Love Songs’, they’ve done the exact opposite.
Clocking in at over an hour and containing twenty-three pulsing tracks, the duo have delivered a smooth, low-key, but super ambitious musical statement on love. Ranging from deep and meaningful tracks around broken relationships and confusing love interests to aloof, abstract musical jigs, those looking for an in depth experience in their music will find much to enjoy here.
The opener ‘Ladies Night’ sets the stage beautifully, with smooth, low-key bass and drums, with the lyrics telling a story about it being ladies night on a Wednesday night, and relaxed vocals that suggest the character in the song is almost happy about being here. This is a secret to the album here: each song serves as a vignette around the experience of love.
The track ‘Tinder’ is a guitar driven, groovy affair backed by trumpets, with fascinating lyrics about a character who almost views the eponymous app as a romantic love interest, opening their heart to other people out there. Similarly, the track ‘I’m Sorry Baby’ is also a notable highlight, with a jazz-like quality to the production and lyrics centering around a confusing breakup, backed by glorious horns and pretty background vocals. The songs feel like tinkered, playful tracks, fans of artists like Gotye would appreciate.
However, what is most impressive is that when the production doesn’t take a more indepth approach, the band still work in an interesting angle with every track, even when it’s a simpler affair: ‘Your Last Thought’ begins with a gorgeous uke, however the song becomes much more sinister when you find out it’s sung from the viewpoint of a guy who is creeping on a girl going to bed through the window.
Other favourites of the album include ‘My Biography’ when the duo enlist a guitar and backing vocals to tell a very aloof story about how the narrator’s lover wrote his biography, but left out so much stuff, or the quirky, upbeat ‘The Lourve is Calling’, the most Gotye-inspired track of the bunch.
This is a fun, quirky and sometimes overwhelming project about love. But, fans will be rewarded, because despite it’s seemingly overwhelming length, Circle manages to cover the emotion in all its complexity and range. To say this record is ambitious is an understatement, and really plays to the musical abilities of the duo. A compelling, engrossing listen!
