A Perfect Circle’s “Starless”: the new video and the search for a way back

A Perfect Circle’s “Starless” is back in front of us, this time on a London stage. The official video arrived on October 13, 2026, using footage from the song’s live debut. The single has been around since May 27, but this is a good excuse to spend a little more time with it. There’s plenty to pick apart here: the riff, the uneasy words, and that feeling of having lost your bearings.

Watch the official “Starless” video

According to the band’s launch announcement, this is “Starless” being played live for the first time, in London. Jon Vulpine and Justin Jones filmed it; Jake Johnston at We’re All Gonna Die handled the edit. If you remember the official visualizer released with the single in May, this is a different clip. That one introduced the recording. This one puts the musicians in the frame, working through the song together.

A riff that began away from the studio

The riff’s origin is a lovely, ordinary detail. Billy Howerdel was watching television with his family, playing through a small practice amp, when he found it. In his October 1 interview with The Music, he described recording the idea on his phone, household noise and all. A couple of days later he brought it into Logic and started turning it into a song. It’s easy to forget how much music begins like that: a rough phone recording you don’t want to lose.

The recording happened at Howerdel’s Lankershim Ranch Studio in Studio City, California. The release announcement reproduced by Premier Guitar names Howerdel as producer, Matty Green as mixer and Josh Freese on drums. Keenan also talked about how new songs develop when you take them on stage. That thought fits this release well. The recording is one version of the song’s life; playing it in a room full of people gives it somewhere else to go.

The recording at a glance

• Artist: A Perfect Circle.

• Digital release: May 27, 2026, under exclusive license to BMG Rights Management (US) LLC.

• Length: about four and a half minutes; Qobuz lists 4:32, while Amazon Music lists 4:33.

• Writers: Maynard James Keenan and William Howerdel, professionally known as Billy Howerdel.

• Additional platform credits: Qobuz lists Keenan for vocals and production, Howerdel for production, engineering and background vocals, Dave Collins for mastering, and Danny Lohner, John Shippy and Brett Carpenter for sound editing.

The credits above come from the Apple Music release listing, Qobuz recording credits and Amazon Music track duration. And yes, the title may ring another bell: King Crimson also have a “Starless”. This is an original APC song, written by Keenan and Howerdel.

Listen to the space around the riff

The release announcement describes heavy guitar passages giving way to smaller, more delicate details. That’s a useful thing to listen for. Stay with the riff for a moment, then notice the room around the voice. The tension works becuase the music can sound sure of itself while the words are full of doubt. It gives you something to hold onto, even when the song keeps asking where you’re headed.

On another listen, try following Freese’s drums. Then switch your attention back to the vocal and see how the arrangement changes around it. You don’t need to turn this into homework; it’s just a way of catching something you missed. The London video makes that back-and-forth easier to watch, with the musicians carrying the changes together.

What the lyrics leave you thinking about

There’s a lot of pressure in the lyrics supplied in the official video description: authority demanding obedience, empathy being pushed aside, fear doing the work of persuasion. Then comes “How did I get here?”, and the focus turns inward. To our ears, that’s the uncomfortable part. The speaker seems to be reckoning with what they’ve become, and with the possibility that they once stood against it.

The title brings a simple image to mind: you’re trying to get somehwere, but the stars you’d normally use to find your way have disappeared. That’s our reading, of course; the band hasn’t supplied that explanation. You can hear the song as political, personal, or both. It leaves enough room for that.

Want to read along? The band has put the full lyrics in the official video’s description. They’re also available through the licensed Apple Music song page. The short line above gives a taste of the text; those links are the place to go for the rest.

The long wait between albums

Howerdel and Keenan’s partnership goes back to 1999, as the band’s publicist biography recounts. Then came Mer de Noms (2000), Thirteenth Step (2003), eMOTIVe (2004) and Eat the Elephant (2018). Eight years have passed since that last studio album. For anyone who has kept those records close, new APC material comes with a fair bit of anticipation.

One detail is easy to muddle: the eight-year gap is between studio albums. There was new music along the way, including “Kindred” on Sessanta E.P.P.P. in March 2024. “Starless” feels like more movement from a band that had already begun stirring again.

A significant radio return

There’s a radio milestone here too. Billboard’s September 30 report put “Starless” at No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart dated October 3, 2026. APC had led that chart only once before, with “Weak and Powerless” in 2003. Nearly 23 years between the two. That’s a long wait, even by this band’s standards.

For the shelf: the 7-inch editions

And then there’s the version you can put on a shelf. The official store’s black-and-white 7-inch listing gives a September 18, 2026 release date and a run of 1,000 foil-numbered copies. You get a branded 45 adapter and the band’s crescent design etched into the B-side. There’s only one song on it: “Starless” on side A, with the artwork taking the reverse.

Revolver’s exclusive listing adds two color variants: silver-and-black, and white with sea-blue and black splatter. Both are listed at 1,000 foil-numbered copies apiece, with an etched reverse and an adapter. A small release, but still a few choices for the collector.

If one of these ends up in your collection, take a minute to note which version you actually have. The color, barcode, catalog number and numbered sleeve all help. It’s the sort of detail that seems obvious now and becomes much less obvious a year later. Our guide to identifying a vinyl edition walks through what to check on the copy in your hands.

A chapter still being written

“Starless” also has company now: “To Whom It May Concern” on September 29. Howerdel talked about a new album in his August Guitar World interview. By the October interview he was still writing, without saying how much more music would follow. So there’s work happening, and there are songs to hear. We don’t have an announced album title, track list or release date yet.

The October 13 announcement says the band returns to touring in Mexico City on November 25, followed by more international dates and a North American run in spring 2027. Check the official tour page for the current schedule.

Watch the London clip, then go back to the recording. The same song, a slightly different way in. A riff caught on a phone at home has made it all the way to that stage, and the questions in it are still hanging there. That’s enough of a reason to give “Starless” another four and a half minutes.

Original editorial illustration generated with AI for ShelfAtlas.