Circles Around The Sun will release a new studio album entitled Language via Megaforce Records next spring. The quartet previewed the six-track LP by sharing new single “Outer Boroughs” and also confirmed a series of East Coast tour dates.
Language is the first CATS album to feature the current lineup consisting of keyboardist Adam MacDougall, bassist Dan Horne, drummer Mark Levy and guitarist John Lee Shannon. The group’s last full-length was an eponymous album released in 2020 that included the last recordings with founder Neal Casal, who died by suicide the previous year.
A description of Language in press materials reads:
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,” explained Dan Horne. “The first couple songs are gonna put you in a certain headspace, and then the party happens later on.” Circles Around The Sun released the single “Language” earlier this year featuring harpist Mikaela Davis. A new mix of the title track appears on the upcoming album.
Circles Around The Sun returns to the road at the end of the year for shows in Roanoke, Virginia on December 29 and Winston-Salem, North Carolina on December 30 as well as a slot opening for The Infamous Stringdusters on New Year’s Eve in Richmond, Virginia. The four-piece then starts 2023 with a January run that includes stops in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts between January 20 and 29.
Tickets go on sale this Friday, November 11 at 1 p.m. ET via Ticketmaster and other outlets. See the full list of dates below along with new Language single “Outer Boroughs”:
Guitarist John Lee Shannon detailed the genesis of “Outer Boroughs,” stating:
“‘Outer Boroughs’ was initially composed when the track emerged from an impromptu jam in the studio around a four-chord sequence Adam was playing around with. Dan’s bassline is one of my favorites, and is unusual in that he initially heard the ‘1’ in a different place than intended, giving extra emphasis to the downbeat of the second measure.” He continues, “It’s a breezy groove that paints several landscapes in vivid color before departing into deep space for an extended middle jam. Originally titled ‘Ouroboros’ for its cyclical nature, it was later changed to “Outer Boroughs” for a bit of mondegreen and a nod to the greatest city in the world.”
Check out the official visual for “Outer Boroughs”:
Language Tracklist
- Third Sunrise Over Gliese 667
- The Singularity
- Outer Boroughs
- Away Team
- Wobble
- Language (Album Mix with Mikaela Davis)
