An Okotoks band gave listeners a taste of what's to come on their debut album last week.
Stonegate released Flying Circles, which is set to be the first single on the band’s debut album, Set in Stone.
Formed back in 2019, the group’s music reflects its members’ upbringing, with influences from bands such as Foo Fighters, Limp Bizkit, Shinedown and Rage Against the Machine. Stonegate’s music can be described as 1990s to early 2000s rock with a modern twist.
When the pandemic hit, band members also struggled, but took it as an opportunity to continue making music. Members Marcus Steiner, Taylor McPhail, Robbie Bailey, Corey Mifflin and Luke Thompson believe the album shows how much the band has evolved over the last couple of years.
“Right about the time we got ready to start playing shows everything shut down, so then we had all this time,” said Thompson, drummer for the band. “Instead of sitting around waiting for everything to open back up, we figured we might as well get into the studio.”
Flying Circles dives deep into conspiracy theories, digital polarization and misinformation by showing how paranoia can affect someone.
“Just thinking about the state of the world and how nuts some crazy conspiracy guys can get into it, so I went full bore on the aspect of just thinking this song is about somebody who's completely paranoid,” said Steiner, vocalist and guitarist.
The song has a fast tempo and a resonant chorus, along with a fast-paced riff and engaging lyrics that are full of conspiracy references. Steiner, who wrote the song, uses satire to make fun of the idea while tying it to today’s culture.
The music video, directed by British filmmaker Oliver Clark, was created with the idea of the song in mind and depicts the insane conspiracy theories a person can create.
“Yeah, he brought the whole thing together from a very broad idea that we had into something that we think is just spectacular. He did a phenomenal job,” said Bailey, guitarist for the band.
The single comes on the heels of an award-winning track.
Stonegate was nominated for Rock Recording of the Year at the YYC Music Awards for its second single, Victim, in 2021.
“It was an unreal moment to think that, you know, a small-town band from Okotoks is nominated with all these Calgary-based bands, and there were a lot of them, a lot of very good ones. It’s pretty crazy that us five guys from Okotoks were able to sneak in,” said McPhail, guitarist and vocalist.
The band is excited to release the full album.
“It's everything coming together over the past two or three years of ideas we've come up with,” said McPhail.
“We are in this because we love it because we've spent our whole lives imagining having an album like this, that we can hold, we can listen to, and can pass it on to our children and be proud to call ours,” said Bailey. “Regardless of how commercially successful it is, it’s something we’ll forever be proud of.”
Flying Circles is available on Spotify, iTunes and YouTube.
