Prime Circle

New single announces world-class Prime Circle album
Prime Circle’s status as South Africa’s leading rock band is confirmed with a brand new single that announces the five-piece’s new studio album.
Titled “Breathing”, the song takes off where Prime Circle’s huge 2009 radio hit “She Always Gets What She Wants” left off. The latter was a tune off the 2008 album ‘All Or Nothing’ and it signaled a more melodic direction for a band known for the hard-rocking live performances and solar-plexus crunching songs that still form an essential part of its repertoire.
“Breathing” – already on rotation at the likes of 5FM, 94.7 Highveld Stereo, KFM and East Coast Radio – makes the most of singer Ross Learmonth’s expansive rock voice, pushing it up front and centre-stage, and allowing the rest of the band to carry the melody in the most understated way. It all makes for nothing short of a landmark song for a band known for producing radio hits with songs like “Consider Me”, “Out Of This Place” and “Hello”.
“Breathing’s” world-class sheen also hints at the sumptuous rock treasures on Prime Circle’s fourth studio album - “Jekyll & Hyde”.
Released on 6 September, the new album sees the core Prime Circle songwriting team of Learmonth, Dirk Bisschoff, and Marco Gomes joined by Dale Schnettler and Neil Breytenbach - and the impact of this intense band effort is heard all over “Jekyll & Hyde”.
The album’s 12-tracks also add more definition to Prime Circle’s now trademark sound – primarily through the collaborative efforts of Theo Crous, Producer & Kevin Shirley, LA Based Mix Engineer. The album was mastered by George Marino, at Sterling Sound, New York. These three gifted music talents worked closely with members of Prime Circle who decamped to Shirley’s Malibu studio – the Cave – in the closing stages of “Jekyll & Hyde”.
“We have been working on the songs that are on ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ for over two years,” says Learmonth of the extensive and intense process that led to the creation of the band’s new album.
“After tracking the album with Theo at Bellville Studios in April and May we went to LA where Kevin engineered the album and persuaded George to take time out of his hectic schedule to master it. It would be an understatement to say that we are blown away by the results.”
With “Breathing” now igniting a new wave of Prime Circle activity at radio, fans can look forward to the new album in the first week of September, along with a brand new website that Learmonth promises has “lots of lots of special stuff for our fans”.