Circle Back have been putting in the work for over a decade. Now approaching their 13th year as a band, the South Carolina outfit has gone through its share of changes, both personally and musically, but the momentum has only continued to build. Since last checking in, they’ve spent time on the road, touring the East Coast and Southeast alongside bands like Kaizo, Eyas Luna, and Heavy Is the Head, expanding their reach while building new connections along the way.
“We got a chance to play shows in new places and create new friendships,” vocalist John Marino tells No Echo, a sentiment that reflects the band’s steady growth.
That experience fed directly into Built From Bones, their new full-length. While the band dropped a pair of singles in 2022, this time around, they took a more deliberate approach. “We really went back to the drawing board and spent a good bit of time locking down the sound we were really looking for all of these years,” Marino says.
The album was engineered in South Carolina by Jeff Adams and Connor Vogt before being handed off to Jamie King (Between the Buried and Me, He Is Legend) for mixing and mastering. “Jamie has worked with us on multiple releases now and has been an absolute pleasure to work with each time,” Marino says. The artwork, created by Mahdi Ansyah, ties the record's visual elements to its overall tone.
Lyrically, Built From Bones moves across a range of themes rooted in personal experience. Tracks like “Cutting Broken Dreams” examine the weight of words and their impact, while “Veins of Rust” focuses on broken trust. Elsewhere, “Constant Chaos” takes a more unexpected turn. “It looks like a really tough hardcore/metal guy wrote it, but it’s really about the movie Groundhog Day,” Marino says. Notably, those songs were written while he was in India on a business trip, with the isolation and change of scenery helping spark new ideas.
The album also revisits the band’s past with a re-recording of “Body Snatchers” from their 2017 self-titled EP, now updated with a new breakdown and a sharper edge. The track tackles themes of government corruption and corporate greed, particularly within the U.S. healthcare system.
Built From Bones is currently available on all streaming platforms, with a limited-edition bone-colored vinyl pressing available directly from the band. Physical formats are also on the way, including cassette and CD releases through Myrtle Beach-based Fragile Life Records. Beyond the record, Circle Back are part of a South Carolina hardcore scene that continues to grow. “The state and the hardcore scene are alive and well,” Marino says. While Charleston has faced its share of venue challenges, the community has remained active, with bands and promoters working together to keep shows happening.
That effort is paying off. The band has shared hometown stages with acts like Cro-Mags, Ringworm, and Sheer Terror, while other parts of the state—Columbia, Myrtle Beach, and Greenville—have seen a surge in activity thanks to dedicated promoters and a wave of new bands.
“There are new young and hungry bands… and seasoned vets,” Marino says, pointing to a deep bench of talent across the region. “This list doesn’t scratch the surface.”
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A limited edition vinyl version of Built From Bones is available here.
Circle Back on social media: Instagram
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