The four songs on the Orbiting Human Circus EP feature in or were inspired by Season One of The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air), which is now available for download in its entirety (or binge-listening!) on iTunes, your favorite podcasting app, and at orbitinghumancircus.com. Part of the Night Vale Presents podcast network, the cast includes Julian Koster, John Cameron Mitchell, Mandy Patinkin, Tim Robbins, Charlie Day, and more. It also features further creative contributions by long-time Koster collaborators such as Brian Dewan and Jeff Mangum.

Each song on the EP is sung by the hapless Janitor at the Eiffel Tower—Julian Koster’s character in the podcast and related live shows—over the course of his surreal adventures. The show exists outside of time, in an era simultaneously suggesting the 1930s and our present, so the songs (along with the rest of the show) were recorded on a 1940s Presto Record Lathe, a 1960s tape machine, a 1930s wire recorder, and of course, a computer—giving Julian an excellent opportunity to continue exercising his lifelong obsession with combining antique and modern recording techniques. Performing as the Janitor allows for new avenues for expressiveness in Koster’s singing, while the show’s surreal tone brings the Music Tapes’ otherworldly impressionistic lushness to a new level.