B-Side Guys

“Circle my son / Circle my home / Circle my planet and all that is known” – The Taxpayers return from their hiatus with an incantation of protection that feels both ancient and urgently contemporary. Born from the tragedy of a friend’s senseless murder near Rob Taxpayer’s home, “Circle Protector” transforms ritual into resistance against chaos.

The production demonstrates remarkable evolution from the band’s earlier work, replacing their characteristic punk aggression with what they describe as “quasi-religious vocal harmonies.” When they sing “Take all the brokenness, place it on leaves / That float down the river out into the sea,” the arrangement creates perfect sonic representation of release and remembrance.

The lyrics craft careful progression from specific protection to universal embrace. Beginning with people “in bottles that you can protect” and expanding to circle “all that is known,” the track builds like a widening protective ring. Each verse adds new layers of meaning while maintaining connection to the personal tragedy that inspired it.

The refrain of “Endlessly ending to always begin” gains power through repetition, suggesting both the cyclical nature of loss and the possibility of renewal. This theme finds perfect support in the track’s arrangement, which builds through careful accumulation of elements rather than sudden shifts.

When the lyrics call to “Tell all the senseless events to be gone / Give all the naked a place to belong,” they capture both the futility and necessity of protective rituals. The production emphasizes this duality through its balance of experimental elements and emotional directness.

The arrangement creates perfect environment for lines about putting memories that “float down the river out into the sea.” Each instrumental element serves both the sonic landscape and the lyrical narrative, creating something that feels both innovative and grounded in human experience.

Having sold out shows across the U.S. and headlined festivals in Australia during their hiatus, The Taxpayers bring new confidence to their experimental tendencies. This track demonstrates how they’ve maintained their innovative spirit while developing more nuanced approaches to expressing profound loss.

“Circle Protector” stands as evidence that sometimes the most experimental music comes from the most human places. Through its careful marriage of protective ritual imagery with evolving sound, The Taxpayers have created something that honors both their artistic development and the experiences that inspired it.