Arcadia: “Bend” a tonic of adrenaline-filled enthusiasm
Arcadia was founded in June 2018 by Will Adler, and Scott Lubin. Will is a guitarist, producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, and Scott is a songwriter and talented vocalist. Will and Scott began making music in high school, and have been developing their sound and style ever since. The brand new single, “Bend” popped up on my radar and found its way into my speakers. Out comes a sparkling burst of guitar-driven indie, generating a handful of different emotions and references. Alt-pop and indie rock clashes ferociously under these two young lads. They have got all the pace and energetic drive they could muster, with a very sticky melody. The finished product packs enough punch to spread like wildfire among the young indie folk and the cross-over beginners of indie, and this is indeed exactly what will be happening with the band soon.
“Bend” applies heavy use of layers of guitars to raise the roof and expand the soundscape. Arcadia follows the indie trend of matching the danceable rock beats, a punky straight-forwardness, and the massive guitar riffing with catchiness in the melody and youthful, street-smart wisdom in the lyrics.
The track has got so many glistening hooks it’s impossible for it to not get stuck on listening to it endlessly. This is such a well-produced, balanced, strong, and confident performance that it is hard to believe these guys only formed a month ago. Enjoyable and addictive, Arcadia just makes this kind of guitar-driven music so much darn better than anyone else right now.
The melody on “Bend” is clear and sharp, the rhythm effortlessly danceable, and every croon by Scott Lubin rings out as nothing but charming. As pricks of guitar melody float through, an obscenely catchy bassline that eventually falls into a rhythm-vocal interchange is as much fun as it is endearing.
It shows a maturity in their songwriting which is especially impressive considering this is their debut. And what of that jangly, angular guitar-work of Will Adler which captures the attention so satisfyingly on this song? Well, they appear to have been dialed in perfectly, playing their role within the full sound evident here.
Most importantly, the guitars merge seamlessly whether they’re in the background, sublimely serving the verses, or pointing directly towards the lead motifs that give the track its dynamicity. What we get here, is a tonic of adrenaline-filled enthusiasm.
Arcadia is the kind of band that is very hard to stop listening to once you’ve heard their music. Mixed cross-firing angular, and melodic guitars, a mellowed vocal delivery, emotionally devastated lyrics, and firework drumming explodes out the speakers with a cool intensity that commercial mainstream music has lost.
There is nothing superficial about the sound, the music, or the lyrics on “Bend”. And when the final cascade of chords and lead motifs arrive, with Scott singing “You won’t be lost”, the result is simply ecstatic. The development of music is about two things: challenging the norms and the mixing of those challenges with the very foundations of the music you enjoy.
Given its unbelievable accessibility Arcadia is one of few indie bands in this day that does this effectively – creating superbly listenable music at the same time. Your indie music collection isn’t complete without this track. Play it loud and you’ll see why!
