Psychedelic-jam-rock-experimental group Circles Around The Sun have officially released their new single, "Third Sunrise Over Gliese 667," via Megaforce Records. This is the second track to be shared off of their forthcoming album, Language, due out April 28th. The single arrives as the group—comprised of Adam MacDougall (keyboards & synths), Dan Horne (bass), Mark Levy (drums) & John Lee Shannon (guitar)—are set to kick off a Midwest tour. Listen to "Third Sunrise Over Gliese 667" HERE.
As guitarist John Lee Shannon explains, "This one was almost entirely written by Adam before the sessions. He brought it to the sessions as a voice memo demo, and we quickly finalized the arrangement and laid down the tracks. Adam and I spent the last few months of 2021 on an intense early Pink Floyd kick, and this song was obviously very inspired by revisiting those first few albums. The result is a good old-fashioned barn burning rock and roller. Easily the most aggressive song that CATS has ever recorded."
The band has also released an animated music video to accompany the single, which you can watch HERE.
Video director Steven Mertens adds context to the process: "Dan originally came to me with the idea of doing a science fiction video for a song he said sounded "spacey". He had the idea that an alien race had built a giant ring around a star, or a "circle around the sun". I got to work on building a circular space city with 3D graphics, and coming up with a story in my head. I wanted the video to be really colorful, and the style to be somewhere in between '50s sci-fi movies, '80s sci-fi toys, and a DMT trip. It ended up being the story of a dwarf and his robot dog, finding and releasing his female clone from suspended animation in an alien temple, and bringing her home, where they mind meld. The band pretty much gave me creative freedom, which was a joy for me. The song is very cinematic, and being an instrumental, the video almost feels like a short movie with the song as its soundtrack."
On Language, Circles Around The Sun will traverse even deeper into the annals of outer-spacial dance grooves that first surfaced on 2020's self-titled release. The new material finds them oscillating through hybrid strains of disco-funk, soul jazz and psychedelic rock, harnessing their stylistic lanes into a singular, intoxicating brew.
The four reconvened in the studio to lay down a record that offers a window into what and where Circles Around The Sun are today. Language is the sound of a rock band confidently writing the next chapter of their story. CATS is a unit brought closer and made stronger having persevered through unthinkable tragedy, weathering the stormy seas to continue onward and upward with humble grace and subtle swagger.
"There's a bit of a different arc to Language. The first couple songs are gonna put you in a certain headspace, and then the party happens later on," notes bassist Dan Horne.
Shop Language vinyl and other exclusive merchandise HERE.
TRACKLIST
1. Third Sunrise Over Gliese 667 (6:24)
2. The Singularity (5:13)
3. Outer Boroughs (7:28)
4. Away Team (6:36)
5. Wobble (6:04)
6. Language (Album Mix with Mikaela Davis) (7:54)
TOUR DATES:
3/8 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom *
3/9 - Columbus, OH - Skully’s Music-Diner *
3/10 - Ferndale, MI - Parliament Room at Otus Supply *
3/11 - Ferndale, MI - Parliament Room at Otus Supply *
3/12 - Kalamazoo, MI - Bell's Eccentric Cafe *
3/15 - St. Paul, MN - Turf Club *
3/16 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon *
3/17 - Evanston, IL - SPACE *
3/18 - Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall *
* w/ special guest Jenny O
