Circuts – Bright As Midnight

• 14th Jul 2008

Since forming in 2006, Circuits have proven to be reliable sorts. Reliability can often bring a lack of spark though, and their debut album ‘Bright As Midnight’ proves this.

A number of tracks on the album could fight for radio play, including ‘Choir Invisible’ and ‘Exit Strategy’, but once you’ve had a listen to the first couple of tracks, you begin to see a pattern emerging.

Opening track ‘City Of Lights’ is a good start, using a catchy beat and some heavily-influenced ska-guitars. But after this, the album falls short of surprises. It isn’t until you reach ‘Welcome To The End’, which has a lively chorus and is sure to be a crowd-pleaser, that you finally tune in again. But by then you’re not sure if you’re all that bothered.

The less rowdy ‘A Thousand Ideas’ shows the band put a bit of thought into their songs, but with uninspiring lyrics such as ‘Exit Strategy’s’ “when you win the rat race you’re just a first place rat”, it’s difficult to see Circuits as anything other than Hard-Fi wannabes. And nobody wants to be that.

The album is perfectly polished, and has numerous catchy choruses to make listening easy, but it doesn’t take long to realise the album is repetitive; once the shine of the first couple of tracks has worn off, it’s difficult to see through the dullness.

Some good and bad news for Circuits then; their album will probably do well, with a ready mix of singles just waiting to be played on the radio. But if they are a band looking to be around for a bit, they need to take the talent they have in other directions. Just to show that they can.