New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The Arcs' Electrophonic Chronic (out now on Easy Eye Sound) has debuted at #1 on Billboard's Current Alternative Albums Chart and - with their first album since 2015 - the band has also hit the Top 10 for Current Independent Record Label Albums (#3), Current Rock Albums (#4), Vinyl Albums (#8) and Current Album Sales (#10). A collection originally inspired by the five-piece's mutual obsession with recording and crate-digging, nearly all of the seven unique vinyl variants released have sold out. Immediately following the album's release, The Arcs' Dan Auerbach and Leon Michels launched a series of instant-sell-out DJ sets in New York and Los Angeles, spinning the 45s that inspired the sounds of Electrophonic Chronic while honoring their late bandmate Richard Swift. This excitement for The Arcs' return has been shared by fans and critics alike:
"A woozy mix of synth pop, celestial guitar riffs and rhythm sections that feels like driving a Ford Bronco through the cosmos." - ESQUIRE
"It's taken on layers of new meaning...the level of talent
The Arcs were able to bring together still feels improbable." - NEW YORK MAGAZINE
"Emotionally healing...Electrophonic Chronic really exudes warmth." - THE GUARDIAN (4 STARS)
"Electrophonic Chronic spans out far into soul, blues, psychedelic and space rock territory...an expansive and experimental turn." - ROLLING STONE
"A timeless mood...these songs should be seeping out of an old transistor radio in a shack on some faraway beach." - THE TIMES (4 STARS)
"A perfect mixture of neo-psychedelia and soul...The Arcs have always had ridiculous chemistry, but it's on Electrophonic Chronic where they ascend to an apex." - FLOOD
"Absolutely sublime...this is one I haven't stopped playing." - BBC RADIO
"A collection of beguiling, eccentric and catchy tunes...The Arcs tell a clear, emotional story." - GUITAR WORLD
"These songs sound instantly familiar but slightly fried, as if beamed in from other worlds." - UNCUT (4 STARS)
Listen to "
Sunshine" here and watch an accompanying animated visual from
The Arcs frequent collaborator Robert "Roboshobo" Schober: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrGYD9wnjJI
Co-produced by Michels and Auerbach, Electrophonic Chronic was largely recorded with Swift before his untimely passing in 2018, as well as bandmates Nick Movshon and Homer Steinweiss. After a period where, as Michels puts it, "I think all of us couldn't really listen to the music, couldn't really face it and try to finish it,"
The Arcs revisited their old recordings, picking up the pieces and finding meaning in times that felt most difficult. "This new record is all about honoring Swift," Auerbach adds. "It's a way for us to say goodbye to him, by revisiting him playing and laughing, singing. It was heavy at times, but I think it was really helpful to do it."
The Arcs - Electrophonic Chronic Track List:
Keep On Dreamin'
Eyez
Heaven Is A Place
Califone Interlude
River
Sunshine
A Man Will Do Wrong
Behind The Eyes
Backstage Mess
Sporting Girls Interlude
Love Doesn't Live Here Anymore
Only One For Me
