The Steoples is the avant-soul duo of GB and Yeofi. Today, they announce their new album Wide Through The Eyes Of No One, out on Stones Throw on 6 August. The title track is out now.
"The album's title points to presence in the unconditioned mind," says Yeofi. "It's those fleeting moments of transcendence that we've all experienced but they rarely register. This raw view gives a brief window into the true nature of oneself, pre-identity unconditioned."
Friends for over fifteen years, Yeofi and GB combine their varying musical worlds as The Steoples. Originally from rural England, Yeofi was surrounded by his father's diverse collection of classical to soul music from a young age. With David Bowie as his first "real musical love", he quickly developed a passion for punk rock and played with several UK-based bands before moving to Los Angeles. As A Race of Angels, Yeofi has collaborated with artists including Theo Parrish and DJ Spinna.
Gifted & Blessed and Frankie Reyes are just some of the aliases GB has used to release his music. Over the last four years, he has been a Stones Throw regular, releasing two albums as Frankie Reyes on the label: Boleros Valses y Mas in 2016 and Originalitos in 2020. The Steoples' debut album Six Rocks came out on Stones Throw in 2017 after Peanut Butter Wolf expressed interest in hearing more of GB's work.
The Steoples' second album, Wide Through The Eyes Of No One, draws on a range of sounds: Latin rhythms, '80s soul, sombre folk, and R&B, with Yeofi's confessional lyrics contemplating themes of isolation and the "knee jerk resilience of the human spirit".
While writing Wide Through the Eyes Of No One, The Steoples varied their creative process, incorporating more live instrumentation with a new cast of players. "There are no rules, and that's what keeps the music interesting and unpredictable for us," says Yeofi. Though rich and more evolved in its sound, the album stays true to The Steoples' foundation: "an exploration of music and philosophy by two friends of different backgrounds."
