Friends Matt, Jacqueline, Gabe and Frank, make up the synth-pop band Social Circle hailing from Lafayette, Louisiana. Currently working on a brand new release the band is promoting their self-titled 6-track EP. It combines all of the great aspects of the genre, and a set of songs which are all fantastic and beautiful, showcasing the band’s wonderful voices in almost soothing, emotional songs and upbeat tracks that put your mind on a high, making you crave some sort of action, motion, or creativity. This is my first experience with Social Circle, and I absolutely love it. The thoughtful lyrics and sunny tone of the music is refreshing and positive. I think it’s impossible to be angry and listen to this music at the same time.
Nostalgia is a deadly thing. It wraps itself around the minds of the many, making them reminisce about things that never really existed, allowing them to reimagine the world to suit their ideology. Unsurprisingly, the world of music has also become increasingly involved in the trading of nostalgia. So while the pop structures, melody and harmonies constructed by Social Circle are extremely reminiscent of the 80’s, they are by no means a throwback retro group as such, and are solidly entrenched in the trendy sonics of today.
Social Circle are a group that relies on huge gorgeous choruses, yet at the same time they are also interested in getting underneath the groove, finding that sweet spot in-between the beat and the melody that allows them to take the listener into another world.
Their tracks grow and grow before slowly morphing into a damn fine hypnotic lullabies that will captivate your imagination. And the familiarity you hear in their songs isn’t simply nostalgically comforting, it’s creatively challenging.
Social Circle give their listeners a nice big cuddle and a metaphorical cup of sweet tea with their sound. “We want our fans to know that we’re here to party and love on them all at the same time,” says Matt. “That it’s a great time getting to escape from all of the BS, but we aren’t afraid to admit that it’s unavoidable at times. We don’t ignore the hard stuff. We just turn it into something beautiful.”
From “Kiss Me Like You Mean It” and “I Know You’d Know”, to “55th Steet” and “Just Before The Sky Falls” to “Two Little Birds” and “Hideaway”, these are incredibly accessible pop tracks with hooks and singalong opportunities aplenty. It certainly sounds like the fruits of a group of artists thoroughly enjoying their work.
Every single track included on the EP has all the key elements of any good, infectious pop record and could slot into the mainstream charts and feel right at home. It essentially takes the best aspects of the group’s talents to create something as intoxicating and beautiful as “Just Before The Sky Falls” and “Two Little Birds”, two outstanding arrangements, that pair off with the edgier and anthemic “I Know You’d Know” and “Hideaway” as the best cuts on the recording.
Whether Social Circle becomes a commercial giant, as they deserve to, remains to be seen. However there can be no doubt that they are doing pop the right way, and that their vocal and musical talents, as well as their songwriting ability deserves to be embraced by a much wider audience.
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