Circa Survive Release New Song “Lustration,” Announce New Album The Amulet

Of all the strange but ultimately enlightening experiences I had during my tenure at Atlantic Records — and there were plenty, many of which I’ve written about in this space — the signing of prog rock weirdos Circa Survive was definitely up there.

It’s not seared into my brain like the time a room full of VPs vehemently head-bobbed along to the new Staind track (long after the band has passed over the hill), doing their best to feign excitement as the too-loud music pumped through oversized but cool-looking (most importantly cool-looking!) speakers. Or that time Julie Greenwald screamed a ten minute sermon directly into my face, Maxell-style, in front of all the label brass about suggesting an idea that would eventually end up being Spotify. But it’s the other side of that same coin, the moment I realized first hand why major labels always bungle cool, independent bands that’ve staked out a thriving career on their own.

It was a good idea in theory — Circa were at the top of their game — but man, no one had a fucking clue what to do with them. Sitting in on an A&R meeting that I’m pretty sure I was only invited to because I had a long beard that looked cool (“cred”!), I listened as the head A&R guy, who cut his teeth in hip hop, promised the world to a rock band that never had any business expecting the world. And though I wasn’t at the label long enough to see the cycle through, we all know how it worked out: their next record would be self-released, followed by one on Sumerian, and now on to Hopeless.

Which isn’t to say that Circa Survive aren’t still great, or that they aren’t still successful. Fortunately for them, their major label experiment went much better than it did for, say, Shadows Fall; they don’t seem to have suffered for it, it was just a bump in the road.

So: here’s their new song “Lustration.” It’s classic Circa, simultaneously slightly proggy, insanely catchy and very rocking. And of course there’s Anthony Green’s voice (also of Saosin) soaring over top of it all, bringing everything together.

New album The Amulet comes out September 22nd via Hopeless; pre-order it here.