Circle The Earth’s origin story is as interesting as their music is. The band’s members were scattered across all four corners of the earth before finding each other; they were brought together by Atlanta native Michael McBay, who recruited Japanese guitarist Kazuki Tokaji, Brazilian drummer Sandro Feliciano, Taiwanese keyboardist Sandy Chao Wang, and – later – vocal dynamo and LA-based singer Angeleno Aviva Scott. The quintet was solidified by a desire to, as Michael McBay calls it, “create beautiful and powerful rock music” that also has “integrity.”
“It’s simple for us,” he says. “We aim to create beautiful and powerful rock music with integrity and an underlying positive message. Our band consists of people from all different places. We’re trying to show the world what it can be like when various cultures cooperate in service of a positive goal. Musically and personally, we all look out for and take care of each other.”
That sense of creating powerful music with “integrity” comes out strongly in their songs. Listening to the quintet, you get a sense that they’re acutely aware of the possibilities of rock music to bring harmony and strength to listeners and live audiences; their songs feel geared towards enriching live experiences. Not only that, but their songs are incredibly nuanced affairs, as well as offering straightforwardly great rock music. Circle The Earth’s most recent singles, ‘Numb’ and ‘Stuck In The Middle’ explore some heavy topics such as addiction, self-destruction, womanhood, and the failures of relationships.
Michael McBay has stressed that all of this is key to appreciating Circle The Earth’s music. “When you hear us, I hope you take away a sense of positivity. Our diversity and our creative quality truly set us apart. I hope the music reinforces core beliefs about love, integrity, sincerity, cooperation, and inclusion that we all share.”
‘Slight Curiosity’ is their latest song, and it contains the same mix of energy and nuance as the releases that came before it. ‘Slight Curiosity’ is about the seemingly irresistible power and privilege; it focuses on an unnamed privileged figure (by ‘privileged’, we’re talking about the top 1% of the top 1%) who maxes out daddy’s credit card while traveling the French Riviera and leaving a massive carbon footprint in his wake. The song is about how everyday people appear to idolize that type of power, even though it’s problematic. Beyond this theme, the song has deeper nuances, which come from the fact that Aviva Scott herself is slightly intrigued by the disingenuous privileged lifestyle but resists the temptation, even musing in the song’s lyrics, “Wish I could take a peek under the hood/But I don’t think I should.”
Listen to the track…