After going back to his hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA in 2004 for a dental appointment, Anthony Green went back to the airport to return to California and his Saosin mates. However, he suddenly had an epiphany - that despite the fact that Saosin was close to breaking out, he knew he would be miserable if he returned. To him, Saosin was "a girl that you had great sex with, yet had little in common with," as Green himself affectionately said. He returned to Colin Frangicetto, a friend who he had "jammed" with during his stay, and they decided to begin recording and recruiting. Thus, Circa Survive was born.
Colin Frangicetto and Anthony Green, with full support from Equal Vision Records, then recruited Brendan Ekstrom. Ekstrom had been Frangicetto's bandmate in This Day Forward. Both Ekstrom and Frangicetto had toured with Taken during their This Day Forward days, and procured Nick Beard, previous bassist of Taken, as Circa Survive's next member. The band met Steve Clifford through Vadim Taver of the band Marigold; "[Steve] jammed with us for a week and from there it was on," says Frangicetto.
To date, Circa Survive has released two versions of the song "Handshakes at Sunrise" on two different 2004 sampler discs from Equal Vision Records, as well as a 2005 limited edition tour EP called The Inuit Sessions. A full length album Juturna was released April 19th, 2005.
Circa Survive now has many national tours under their belt, including a co-headlining tour that took place in summer 2005. Circa Survive has also opened for Mae and Dredg on each of their headlining runs. Circa Survive played The Bamboozle Festival in New Jersey in 2005, and then played every year until 2008. They also played a few dates on The Van's Warped Tour in 2005 and completed a European tour with Coheed and Cambria and Thrice in 2006. Circa Survive has also toured with Thursday, Rise Against, Billy Talent, My Chemical Romance, Saves the Day and Moneen.
Circa Survive's first major headlining tour occured during the summer of 2006, with The Receiving End of Sirens, YouInSeries, and Days Away on the first leg of this tour. These bands dropped off on July 23rd. On July 25th, Portugal. The Man, and Keating joined the tour.
On Letting Go is the band's second album. It was released on May 29, 2007 by Equal Vision Records, the album debuted at number 24 on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling about 24,000 copies in its first week. The band headlined the Alternative Press Tour in Spring 2007, with, Cute Is What We Aim For, Envy on the Coast, and As Tall As Lions, headlined the 2007 Warped Tour, and did a headlining tour with Ours, Fear Before the March of Flames, and Dear and the Headlights in the fall.
After supporting Thrice and Pelican for their Spring 2008 tour, Circa Survive returned home to Philadelphia to write for the follow up record to On Letting Go. The band announced in August of 2009, after over a year of writing, that they were beginning the recording process, and that they had signed with Atlantic Records. The band frequently spoke of the new material as a brand new direction and, as Colin said, "our growth is evident in every note and rhythm I hear."
On February 16, 2010 they announced their new album would be titled "Blue Sky Noise", and would be released on April 20, 2010. The album debuted at #11 on the Billboard 200, and #1 on the Alternative Albums Chart.
Circa Survive's second EP, Appendage, was released on November 30, 2010. It contains five tracks: "Sleep Underground" (Demo), "Stare Like You'll Stay", "Everyway", "Backmask" and "Lazarus".
Circa Survive is planning to record their fourth LP between mid-March and May 2012 in California with former Failure frontman Ken Andrews (Mae, Pete Yorn) as producer. It is tentatively scheduled for release in late summer or early fall 2012 on Atlantic Records, with a U.S. tour to coincide with its release.
On April 16, 2012, Circa Survive began recording their fourth record. On March 5, 2012, Absolute Punk stated it would be titled "Violent Waves". On June 25th, 2012, Circa launched the Violent Waves Pre-Order webpage, officially announcing the album's title and release date, August 28th, 2012, along with a new song titled "Suitcase". The band also confirmed that the CD would be self-released.
Act Appalled
Circa Survive Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We're not like them
To pull them in, make it seem like your in trouble
Make a sound, fake it enough.
What made you so scared?
Maybe your mistaken for someone who cares
If you remember, remember
I've been trying to get back to the center
I'm sure it's not like it was before
To make them drink, tell them that it's only water
No one leaves 'till we figure this out
What made you so scared?
Maybe your mistaken for someone who cares
If you remember, remember
I've been trying to get back to the center
I'm sure it's not like it was before
Patience
Both we and our words are over produced by influence
By influence
Patience
Both we and our words are over produced by influence
By influence
By influence
I'm only asking if you remember, remember
I've been trying to get back to the center
And I'm sure it's not like it was.
The lyrics of Circa Survive's "Act Appalled" are reflective of a person who is trying to maintain their true identity and not conform to societal expectations. The chorus highlights the individual's desire to remember who they truly are and to return to that center, to be authentic and true to themselves. The lines, "Will you walk straight? We're not like them," suggest that the singer stands out from the rest of society, and chooses not to conform to societal pressure, instead remaining true to their own beliefs.
The verse, "To pull them in, make it seem like you're in trouble, make a sound, fake it enough," is a commentary on people who use drama and theatrics to gain attention and sympathy from others. The lines, "What made you so scared? Maybe you're mistaken for someone who cares," further reinforce this idea, portraying society as fake and insincere, pretending to care for the sake of appearance.
The bridge of the song, "Patience, both we and our words are over-produced by influence," comments on the pressure people face to conform to society's standards and expectations. It suggests that people struggle to maintain their authenticity when their thoughts and words are heavily influenced by those around them.
Line by Line Meaning
Will you walk straight?
Can you keep moving forward without deviating from the path?
We're not like them
We don't want to be like the others
To pull them in, make it seem like your in trouble
To attract others, pretend that we are in need of help
Make a sound, fake it enough.
Create a noise that will capture attention, but don't overexaggerate
What made you so scared?
Why are you so fearful?
Maybe your mistaken for someone who cares
Perhaps people wrongly perceive me as someone who is empathetic
If you remember, remember
If you haven't forgotten, then recall that
I've been trying to get back to the center
I have been struggling to return to what is most important
I'm sure it's not like it was before
I don't think things will be the same again
To make them drink, tell them that it's only water
Persuade them to consume by convincing them it's harmless
No one leaves 'till we figure this out
We can't depart until a solution is found
Patience
Be calm and wait
Both we and our words are over produced by influence
Our actions and speech are influenced excessively by external factors
By influence
Due to the impact of others
I'm only asking if you remember, remember
I only ask that you recall
And I'm sure it's not like it was.
I am certain that the present is different than the past.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
nabilah
on Strange Terrain
just my opinion about the meaning:
It could probably talking about the band life. Where in many bands of this scene, members come and go, original member left, band disbanded and reunion.
"We made designs completely backwards" is talking about experimental or punk or emo-influenced lyrics usually written in obscure & interpretative wordings.
"Nobody knows if were even close to where we need to go" is how vary the song meaning could be, and everyone could have derivative art regarding the interpretation. This is what I interpret the song. and you might have different interpretation.
"To find out how it all works with so many artists/partners" this one is clearly talking about artist, the reason why I think the song is talking about band life.
"Who's the one pounding the gears avoiding the crowds keeping their ear to the ground" talking about the people behind the scene who helped making their song but never credited in the song creator (who's the one?). the people working during recording, editing, mixing, etc
"Oh I've made a mistake I never learned how to get back to the place" maybe talking about member and band reunion
"Where all our confidence kept is behind a shield only light can get through." talking about performing live or during recording