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.
Living Together
Circa Survive Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A way to set your mind above and over words
Attached means identity
Erases things, so how can we record?
Distress call codeword is I wanna live
He makes it up; as it goes, he goes away
To places he can only hide in other people's minds
It goes away
Your rational mind's insane
You taste the sound you make
The light from the sun
It's the story that never gets sold
And the light from the sun is your mother
Attached means identity
Erases things, so why should we...
Distress call codeword is I wanna live
He makes it up; as it goes, he goes away
To places he can only hide in other people's minds
Uh, he makes it up as it goes
With an effortless smile, you're provin' to be
And in-between aisles, they would say you stare to see
With an effortless smile, you're provin' to be
Always in between aisles, optimistic, daring me
Would you trade your soul for gold?
Would you trade your soul?
Would you trade...
The lyrics to "Living Together" by Circa Survive are cryptic and can be interpreted in many different ways. The song seems to be about the struggle to find meaning and identity in a world that erases things and makes it difficult to record or remember that which is important. The opening lines of the song are particularly poignant, suggesting that life is like a season in reverse, as we struggle to set our minds above and beyond mere words. The idea of attachment as identity is explored throughout the song, with the singer questioning its validity and usefulness.
The repeated phrase "distress call codeword is I wanna live" seems to be a desperate plea for help, a way of communicating that life is overwhelming and challenging. The idea that "he makes it up as it goes, it goes away" suggests that life is constantly in flux, always changing, and that we must adapt and change with it. The lines "your rational mind's insane, you taste the sound you make" suggest that we are all a little bit crazy, that we exist on the edge of sanity and that our actions are based more on instinct and intuition than logic or reason.
Throughout the song, the imagery of light and the sun is used, perhaps as a metaphor for hope and renewal. The line "the light from the sun is your mother" is particularly striking, suggesting that the natural world is our nurturing force, and that we must honor and protect it.
Interestingly, "Living Together" was inspired by a quote from writer Henry Miller, who once said: "Living together apart, or living apart together, is the only choice we have." The song explores the tension between the desire for individuality and the need for community and connection.
Line by Line Meaning
It starts out like a season in reverse
Things are moving backwards, just like the seasons do sometimes.
A way to set your mind above and over words
Finding a way to think outside normal communication.
Attached means identity
Attachment to things becomes part of a person's identity.
Erases things, so how can we record?
Memory loss means it is impossible to store and recall our experiences.
Distress call codeword is I wanna live
Asking for help with living life.
He makes it up; as it goes, he goes away
Creating as he goes, the artist loses himself in his work.
To places he can only hide in other people's minds
Inspiration is found in other people's experiences and thoughts.
It goes away
The inspiration eventually fades.
Your rational mind's insane
Being too logical can drive someone crazy.
You taste the sound you make
Words can have a flavor or emotion that can be sensed.
The light from the sun
The sun represents something unattainable, like truth or enlightenment.
It's the story that never gets sold
The truth or meaning that one is searching for can never be fully understood or captured.
And the light from the sun is your mother
Trying to understand the world is like trying to understand your mother.
With an effortless smile, you're proving to be
Exuding an appearance of happiness and ease, even if it's not how one truly feels.
And in-between aisles, they would say you stare to see
Seeing things that others overlook.
Always in between aisles, optimistic, daring me
Remaining optimistic even when surrounded by negativity.
Would you trade your soul for gold?
Asking if someone would give up their morals/integrity for material wealth.
Would you trade your soul?
Asking if someone would sacrifice their values for personal gain.
Would you trade...
Continuing the same line of questioning as before.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Devin Wells
It starts out like a season in reverse
A way to set your mind above and over words
Attached means identity
Erases things, so how can we record?
Distress call code-word is I wanna live
He makes it up as it goes, it goes away
To places he can only hide in other peoples minds
Oh, he makes it up as it goes
It goes away
Your rational mind's insane
Taste the sound you make
The light from the sun it's a story never gets sold
The light from the sun, it is your mother
Attached means identity
Erases things, so why should we?
Distress call code-word is I wanna live
He makes it up as it goes, it goes away
To places he can only hide in other peoples minds
Oh, he makes it up as it goes
With an effortless smile you pervade to be
And in-between aisles, they would say you stare to see
With an effortless smile you pervade to be
Always in-between aisles, optimistic daring me
Would you trade your soul for gold?
Would you trade your soul?
Would you trade?
Breathing24
Circa Survive was one of the last bands my friend Chris really listened to before he passed. On letting go and juturna were his favorite. This album gave me chills from start to finish
Snougy
damn
Okay
RIP your friend. I hope you’re doing okay now.
Luis Davila
RIP love this album
CiK 98343
I felt this
Ivan Jimenez
My friend also passed away 😔
Daniel Dalan
22 in college, I can remember being 17 in high school not knowing wtf I wanted to do with my life, and whether it even mattered. I lived in the open ranges of New Mexico, and for all of 2017 all I did at night was smoke weed out my window while looking up into the beautiful New Mexico star lit sky, and this album was ALWAYS playing from start to finish. I think being able to stop and think a bit with this great album helped give me direction into where I wanted to go in life, just being able to stop and reflect on yourself with some beautiful music… that chapter of my life belongs to Circa Survive ❤️
thiev__v
Hey, wasn't expecting to see someone else from New Mexico here too. As another late teen from the same state also trying to find a direction in life, best of luck to both of us, this struck a chord
Yuki Utaware
Circa Survive is just one of those things... I was working in a music store and I saw Juturna on the shelf and wrote it down and went home and fell in love. Traveled 500 miles to see them live in Seattle on the anniversary tour. On Letting Go is my favorite album, and it helped me through some serious dark spots.
Adrian Romo
A very Great privilege to know of such Beautiful Music a Treat and Blessing to have this in my ears and vibration ❤🤩🤴🎵