he B-side of the vinyl is engraved with a Karl Marx line: “Capital is dead labour, which, vampire-like, lives only by sucking living labour, and lives the more, the more labour it sucks.” That quote sets the temperature for “In Defense of Lost Causes,” the new six-song EP from Nantes hardcore band Circles — a short, fast, openly leftist record out April 3, 2026 via Shield Recording.

Six originals, one vinyl-exclusive SSD cover (“Glue”), and three guest vocalists pulled in from a small network of French and Irish friends.The EP is a course correction. Circles’ usual coordinates — melodic hardcore with nods to Dag Nasty and One Last Wish — haven’t shifted, but this one leans harder on the hardcore side of that equation.