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.
Strange Terrain
Circa Survive Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No one could see if we ended up where we needed to be
To find out how it all works with so many partners
And nobody wants nobody wants to sit behind the wheel, behind the wheel.
Who's the one pounding the gears avoiding the crowds keeping their ear to the ground
Oh Ive made a mistake I never learned how to get back to the place
Oh...
Where have all the signs gone
I don't know where I am without them.
Where have all the signs gone
I don't know where I am.
We made designs completely backwards
Nobody knows if were even close to where we need to go
To find out how it all works with so many artists
And nobody wants nobody wants to sit behind the wheel, behind the wheel.
Who's the one pounding the gears avoiding the crowds keeping their ear to the ground
Oh I've made a mistake I never learned how to get back to the place
Where all our confidence kept is behind a shield only light can get through.
Where all our confidence kept is behind a shield only light can get through.
Where have all the signs gone
I don't know where I am without them.
Where have all the signs gone
I don't know where I am.
The lyrics to Circa Survive's "Strange Terrain" describe the confusion and uncertainty that comes with trying to navigate life without clear direction or guidance. The opening lines highlight the idea that we often misinterpret the signals and signs we encounter, resulting in us ending up in places we didn't intend to be. The line "to find out how it all works with so many partners" could possibly be referencing the struggles of navigating relationships and partnerships while still trying to figure out one's own path.
The lyrics then shift to question who is leading the way and driving towards their goals, while the singer feels lost and unsure of how to get back on track. The reference to "pounding the gears avoiding the crowds" suggests that whoever is leading the way is doing so by navigating through the obstacles and distractions that come with pursuing a goal. The chorus speaks to the loss of direction and feeling lost without clear signs to follow.
The line "where all our confidence kept is behind a shield only light can get through" could possibly be a reference to feeling guarded and protected, but also vulnerable and exposed when trying to pursue goals or navigate uncertain terrain.
Overall, the lyrics of "Strange Terrain" speak to the universal struggles of trying to navigate life without clear direction, and the confusion and uncertainty that comes with that experience.
Line by Line Meaning
We read the signs completely backwards
We interpreted the signals and messages incorrectly and opposite to their true intention.
No one could see if we ended up where we needed to be
No one had a clear perspective on our destination or if we actually reached it.
To find out how it all works with so many partners
To comprehend the workings of this situation with so many people involved.
And nobody wants nobody wants to sit behind the wheel, behind the wheel.
And no one desires to take responsibility or control over the situation.
Who's the one pounding the gears avoiding the crowds keeping their ear to the ground
Who's the person diligently pushing through the obstacles and being aware of the surroundings.
Oh Ive made a mistake I never learned how to get back to the place Oh...
Oh, I admit my mistake in not learning how to return to where we once were.
Where have all the signs gone
Where did all the indications and guidance disappear to.
I don't know where I am without them.
I feel lost and uncertain without the signs to show me the way.
We made designs completely backwards
We devised plans and strategies that were opposite to what we needed to do and counterproductive.
Nobody knows if were even close to where we need to go
No one has any clue whether we are heading in the right direction or proximity to our destination.
To find out how it all works with so many artists
To comprehend the dynamics and workings of the situation involving numerous creative individuals.
Where all our confidence kept is behind a shield only light can get through.
Our self-assurance is shielded, and only hope and optimism can pierce through.
Contributed by Caleb R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
nabilah
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