It would be easy for me to rehash my thoughts on Circa Survive, to expound on my admiration and appreciation of a band that has been so important to my overall appreciation and understanding of music. Instead I’ll simply ask that you first take a few minutes and check out what I had to say about the last time they came to town. All good? 

This time around, they’re in a different setting, and they’re touring during some of the more definitive moments of their career. Leading up to the and following the release of their latest album, the brilliant and expansive Decensus there were a few storms that many, maybe most, other bands wouldn’t have been able to weather. But when vocalist Anthony Green opened up about his addiction to drugs, as well as his family and band’s reaction, the support that both they and fans of the band (as well as fans of Green himself - he’s a prolific writer, vocalist, musician, and artist) was, simply put, overwhelming.

Happily, Circa Survive is as strong as they’ve ever been. Perhaps even stronger.

Currently on tour for the 10th anniversary of their game-changing debut album, Juturna, along with the resurrected, well-respected Rx Bandits (members of which Green has worked with in the admittedly weird project known as The Sound of Animals Fighting) and relative newcomers Citizen, Circa Survive continue to add to their already notable legacy as pioneers of the independent music scene. Their energetic live show is a masters class in controlled chaos, and with a catalog as deep and sonically varied as theirs has become, each tour, and likely each show, has a distinct feel, a certain energy that no other band can quite replicate. Having seen them in tiny rooms that hold less than 100 people, as well as those with caps at 1,500 or 2,000, it’s still impossible to compare them to other bands who are able to play that range of spaces. Not only are they able to, but they’re just as comfortable on a cramped, humid stage as they are in festival settings. I know which I prefer, but Circa Survive playing live such a vital experience, it doesn’t really matter where you see them.

Juturna is and always will be an album that I hold up to others as an example of a flawless record. Weird, progressive, engaging, and, maybe more than anything, enigmatic - it’s an album that’s as exciting and accessible as it is just plain strange. I excitedly anticipate each new Circa Survive release, but Juturna has become an indelible, foundational album that is just as moving and engrossing as it was the first time I listened.

For fans, the Juturna tour is a chance to celebrate the band’s beginnings, as well as enjoying both their continued existence and their constant evolution. For Rx Bandits and Citizen fans who have yet to see Circa Survive live - have fun.

Decensus is out now on Sumerian Records. Juturna is celebrating it’s 10th anniversary (and is one of the most important album of the last 10 years, in case you were wondering). Please go watch Circa Survive play this album in its entirety while they’re on tour with Rx Bandits and Citizen. This Friday, October 30 at Bogart’s is your chance.