Formed in 2015, Stellar Circuits emerged to combine the conceptual polarities of groove-oriented music with progressive-minded technicality. Over the quartet’s lifespan, they’ve managed to fulfill their own prophecy, formulating a core sound that is complex and layered, while providing a listenability that extends well beyond the rock genre. Visceral, intellectual, groovy, technical, and melodious are rarely indicators that can all be used to describe the aural essence of one band. In the case of Stellar Circuits, the rare combination makes a striking and definitive appearance in all they do.
The Winston-Salem, NC foursome followed their 2015 debut EP with their first full-length album in 2018. Ways We Haunt would be recorded with North Carolina’s own Jamie King, a legend in his own right, bringing his signature touch to Stellar Circuits’ first long form release.
Generating significant attention, especially from the band’s more veteran industry peers, Stellar Circuits would go on to be invited as special guests on Chevelle’s 2021 N.I.R.A.T.I.A.S. tour. Completing a nationwide trek that introduced Stellar Circuits to a significantly broader audience, the foursome immediately saw their fanbase increase exponentially, prompting a shift in their attention to a new record with which they could continue to build on the solid foundation they had since established.
Sight to Sound, Stellar Circuits’ sophomore release, sees the band working once again with Jamie King to convey their growth and expansion on what they do best. Vocalist frontman Ben Beddick highlights the forward momentum, relaying how the band “wanted to push past the point of comfort when writing this music. To make something real and honest that we can all stand by.”
Coming to audiences around the world via Nuclear Blast Records, Sight to Sound expands upon the progressive and groove-centric nature of the band; combining a heaviness, a catchiness, and strength of composition with technical proficiency that results in Stellar Circuits’ most polished release to date. Vocalist Ben Beddick further expands on the writing process and the record’s trajectory, marking a “turning point around the beginning of the writing process that steered us toward a particular conceptual direction. Moving closer to an understanding of the perception of our senses. This record is meant to serve as a sort of invocation. A sense of qualia. The term ‘synesthesia’ comes to mind…”.
First impressions of Sight to Sound will come in the form of three singles, beginning with “Witch House”, embracing Stellar Circuits’ metal roots. Bassist Jesse Olsen notes a blending of the “rhythmic foundation with a grittiness and rawness that’s always pulled me in, starting from the very beginning. It’s hypnotic and keeps you wanting more.”
More will come with the album’s opening track, and second single, “Catch Your Death”. Drummer Tyler Menon highlights exactly why fans are in for excitement right from the start: “The first riff you hear in ‘Catch Your Death’ (the bass delay riff) is the first idea we had for the song, and may actually be the oldest idea on the whole record - so it's almost fitting that it's the first thing you hear when you start the record. One thing I'm particularly proud of is that most of this song is in 9/8, but disguised in such a way that you may not have known it's in an odd timing if you weren't counting. It still amazes me that Ben figured out a way to rap over a 9/8 time signature almost immediately after picking up a mic and hearing this riff for the first time.”
Finally, “Pleasure Cruise”, a groove-oriented track showcasing the band’s versatility while staying committed to their core sounds rounds out the introductory trio. “‘Pleasure Cruise’ is a solid sign of things to come,” says guitarist Jared Stamey. “We want to lead the audience into a groove while also grooving with them. We want to bring the heaviness but also provide space for the ethereal. I feel like ‘Pleasure Cruise’ does exactly that.”
Comprised of vocalist Ben Beddick, bassist Jesse Olsen, guitarist Jared Stamey and drummer Tyler Menon, the North Carolina quartet produce an effective and unparalleled coalescence that will undoubtedly excite new listeners while more than satisfying long-term followers. Featuring 11 original tracks that are poised to impress even the most discerning of aficionados, Sight to Sound puts the global music landscape on notice that Stellar Circuits has definitively arrived.
