The Circus Ready Sophomore Album

The Circus. Photo: Rahul Lal

Exactly two years after releasing their debut album From Space, Delhi’s post-grunge alt rockers The Circus are back in the studio with their sophomore album, Bats. “When From Space released, we had already started writing new material. The album came out in May 2010 and now in 2012, we are finishing putting Bats down,” says Arsh Sharma, vocalist and guitarist of the four-year-old band. Bassist Abhinav Chaudhary, who won this year’s JD Rock Awards for Best Bassist along with Sharma, Abhishek Bhatia on vocals and Anshul Lall on drums make up The Circus.

Fans of the band may already be acquainted with songs from Bats like “Andromeda,” “Gardens,” “Poxilation Chickachaemia,” and “It Feels Good When The Medications Kick In,” which the band have been playing at gigs across the country. Before hitting the studio, The Circus had been toying with the idea of throwing in some dubstep and house into Bats. “I recently set up a home studio where I keep experimenting with new tones and samples. The computer has transformed our sound,” explains Sharma. “In our recent shows, we have been live looping a lot and using virtual synths to pump up our sound and we’ve been getting great feedback for this,” says Sharma.

Bats is a departure from the grunge-heavy From Space. “Compared to the last time, our recording sessions are more contained and rehearsed this time around. We each are pending more time writing down our parts first and then bringing it together,” says Sharma. Bats is being produced by Anupam Roy who also produced From Space. The band hopes to release Bats in August.

The Circus are also contemplating a second album featuring covers of songs by bands such as Nine Inch Nails, Nirvana, Radiohead and Bon Jovi. Sharma admits to having destroyed Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life.” “That song was made to be smashed and redone. We are also working on NIN’s ”˜We’re In This Together,’” adds Sharma. The cover album may see an online release, with a new single every week.