Circles Around the Sun

This song is based on Larry Perry, a disabled man who was reportedly sent unwillingly into space by NASA in the '60s. Dispatch's vocalist and guitarist, Chad Urmston, told Rolling Stone: "In the early 1960s the space race had captured America. Looking to outdo the Soviets without putting their necks on the line, NASA, in an unprecedented, controversial move, took a very disabled young man away from his family to ready him for space flight. Both the USSR and USA had sent dogs and chimps into space, but the USA wanted more. Larry cannot walk or speak but was in perfect health and, more importantly, in the eyes of the government, expendable. Unbeknownst to them, from a very young age, Larry had always been an adrenaline junkie and the scientists and government officials were actually fulfilling the biggest adventure he could ever dream - to be launched into space. To everyone's surprise, Larry returns from space triumphant and smiling." In our interview, we asked Urmston why he was inspired to write about this: "Larry is an old friend of mine. He passed away last year but I'd known him since I was 17. Whether or not this legend is actually true is still hotly debated among experts and conspiracy theorists."

This is the title track to Dispatch's fifth album, and first in 12 years, Circles Around the Sun. In our interview, Urmston told us how it felt recording with Dispatch after all that time: "It's always challenging to put an album together with three different song writers. But being 12 years older and taking all that time away helped as we had a better appreciation for each other."