The Arches just released  a new album called “Abandoned” – I checked it out and here are my thoughts 🙂 

First of all – that cover art is great and especially eye-catching to me as I am an “urban decay and abandoned industrial things” photographer myself.  Check out their Bandcamp page for a higher resolution photo – It is quite a stark image.  I also think there is a mysterious cat lurking in one of those upstairs portholes…or an extremely large rat…what you do think? 

anyway…

The set starts out with “Just Killing Time” which has a slight haunting quality to it, especially as the lyrical refrain “I know you’re no good, I know you’re no good for me,” floats over the music.  This is probably the most “pop” song on the album although I suspect The Arches may not be aiming for pop notoriety…it just struck me that way when I listened to it.  

There are some good drum beats on the next track “Rise UP” which gives it an “anthem you can dance to” feeling.  That song then bleeds over well into “Mikola.”  It is one of those great transitions that I always try to put into playlists I make…they just fit next to each other.  Now, I have no idea what that word means or what meaning it might have to the band…but do not look it up on Urban Dictionary if you are a PG-rated person! 

The next track, “Baby Face Assassin,” is a music-only number that really caught my attention.   It had me making up my own lyrics, albeit a simple “there’s a baby face assassin coming for me, and I think that it’s time to leave” as I closed my eyes and got a little lost in the composition.  

The next two songs were the toughest part of the record for me.  “Apocalypsing” really had me scratching my head a bit…although that usually means I missed the point so I suspect some of you out there will love it.  The following track “Stuck in a Loop” has a kind of eerie discordance inside of it running alongside a very pleasant keyboard melody.  It left me feeling just a little bit uneasy.

The album finishes up with “Time Will Tell’ (a dreamy atmospheric type song) and “Mikola Outro” which sends you on your way in a contemplative mood, possibly feeling slightly lost and thoughtful.  It had that effect on me anyway.    

Overall, this is an interesting record which delivers a variety of emotions as you listen to it.  It clocks in at a tight and well-composed twenty-one minutes.  On their Bandcamp site for this album The Arches comment that, “There is beauty in loss and abandonment, in everything.” These songs delivered a sense of that beauty while also leaving me just a little bit uneasy.  

You can check out more on The Arches and buy this album and other music at their Bandcamp page https://the-arches.bandcamp.com/music

Support your local music and artists  – community is powerful 🙂