Seven Second Circle is an American Progressive Rock band hailing from the Pacific Northwest. Forged by the Oregon/Seattle “art-rock” Post-grunge scene of the mid-90’s, 7SC has their our own unique spin on Progressive Rock.
"Longitude" EP Review
"Voices Overheard" opens with an acoustic Rock sound that puts their passion out in the forefront. The groove builds up and a whirlwind of impressive Progressive Rock riffs come bursting through. The vocals pick up steam along with the Rage Against The Machine like riffs in the background. There's a dynamic tug of war between the verses and the instrumentation with both delivering with their respective slots in the track. "Time Eats Everything" creates an infectious groove from the start and it's purely instrumentation for roughly the first minute. The track is more steady than the opener and keeps on a solid path throughout until around the four minute mark. The sound ramps up and breaks through the clouds of Progressive Rock. "Summer (In Your Eyes)" is an eight minute romp through the vast sounds of the band. The track twists and turns and features some Faith No More like riffs, vocals and time changes. The catchy appeal is off the charts and even though it's eight minutes, it's jam packed full of Rock sounds that keeps things interesting throughout.
Verdict:
Seven Second Circle elevate their signature sound to even greater heights via their new EP.
-Interview- (6/4/21)
1. How did you get started with music and how did you develop your sound? Who thought of the name “Seven Second Circle" and is there any meaning behind it?
We started out as a band called First Sleep in late 2006. We’d all been writing and performing music for at least a decade before in other projects, influenced by post-Grunge Hard Rock that was very commonplace in the Pacific Northwest. We changed the name from First Sleep to Seven Second Circle in 2008 because there was already a web-presence around the term “First Sleep”. After careful vetting we chose “Seven Second Circle” because the Domain Name was available, it has great alliteration and it provides a stark imagery that we can continually pull from.
2. What do you want people to take away from your music?
We write and perform music for the listening pleasure of others, so ultimately we want folks to appreciate our art. Clicking up a layer from there, we feel it’s important that the listener create their own meaning when it comes to our songs. Since art is subjective, it’s important that the listener gets something out of it. Whether it’s a warm feeling, shedding a tear or something in between we hope our music evokes an emotion. As a bonus, it’s memorable and often our choruses will stay in your head long after the track has completed.
3. How would you describe your sound to the average listener?
We are Progressive Rock, meaning that we write music that is a little more “complex” than average but at the same time very relatable and memorable. An article once dubbed us Tool meets Pink Floyd, which we find very flattering.
4. Who are three bands you’d like to tour with?
Seven Second Circle would fit nicely with Porcupine Tree or Pineapple Thief because of the connection to Progressive Rock. We love lots of Australian bands like Karnivool & Dead Letter Circus. While it’s a bit of a stretch, we could be on the bill with “Kid A”-era Radiohead.
5. How has Covid affected what you do as a band?
We are no longer able to perform shows during COVID so it forced us into recording, which is great because that’s how we were able to meet From The Depths Entertainment.
6. What’s your take on the current state of Rock?
Rock will always be alive, as long as a teenager is making noise in a garage somewhere. Like anything else, there is an ebb-and-flow in the public consciousness. I’m constantly surprised at how far-reaching music can be and, while slightly optimistic, I think that Rock is just morphing into the next thing it shall become.
7. What’s the current music scene like there in the Pacific Northwest?
Before COVID the music scene in the Pacific Northwest was gigantic. After Seattle blew up, it really never settled down, moving affectionately from “Soundgarden” to “Death Cab for Cutie” and “Washed Out”. This, of course, fairly represents the individuality and uniqueness that the Pacific Northwest prides itself on. Before the lock-down you could still see great bands on any given Tuesday in Portland, so it was a thriving scene.
8. What’s your take on the royalties that streaming services pay out to artists?
For better or worse, we need to play the game. While we may not agree with what the Record Companies have chosen to do, streaming services are just one of the plethora of ways to get our music out into the world and ultimately into the ears of our listeners and fans. While things might not appear to be fair, each cosmic cost/pay-off has its good and bad points. It’s nice to be able to send someone to a single platform to download your music but on the other hand it’s incredibly difficult to differentiate yourself from the other hundred albums released this week and we’re more likely to win the state lottery than be picked up for a specialized playlist with millions of listeners. It remains an enigma to this day.
9. What’s next for Seven Second Circle?
Seven Second Circle is going to be recording more EP’s until we can perform out in the world again. We’ve got more music inside of us that needs to come out and this is the best way we know how to get it out into the world.
10. Any shoutouts?
Shout-out to our friend Jace Edwards in Winnemucca Nevada for playing Seven Second Circle on his radio station 94.3.
