Pan Arcadia – Weeks Ago (2021)
The last year has been fraught with turbulence as the pandemic hit and left many feeling adrift. Pan Arcadia has taken this turbulence and fused it with sentimental musings for their EP Weeks Ago. Through the three tracks of the EP, the band considers chipping away and rebuilding the world.
While looking at rebuilding, the band is also doing something more tangible through their charity campaign Save the Scene NYC which provides assistance to New York City musicians and venue workers. This push to something better comes from Eamon Rush (vocals), Dylan Kelly (guitar), Henry McGrath (bass), Gabriel Gonzalez (guitar) and Brian Duke (drums). Together they wrote and recorded this EP while in quarantine in Brooklyn.
The EP opens with ‘Drag It Out’ which slowly creeps into your senses before the guitar really hooks into you. The opening guitar is joined by another that picks up the pace and shoves you toward the rolling drums. The melody has an interesting sombre base with the guitars adding a higher lightness. Rush’s vocals are a whiskey warm layer over the melody as he effortlessly leads you down the song. The chorus shouts out into the soundscape while trying to drag you out of any rut that you might be stuck in. There is a subtle positivity to this single that swipes at you from nowhere.
The title track ‘Weeks Ago’ has a more paced arrangement than the opening track. The toe-tapping melody makes you want to get down to the groove as it brings a hint of funk wrapped in alternative rock to your ears. The lyrics carry a lot of things that you should take the time to really think about. The engaging nature of the melody might have you missing the depths of the lyrics, but it also makes it easier to digest and get into the thoughts being detailed. Through the single, you are filled with thoughts of the future, what has changed and a light dusting of wistfulness for the past.
The EP ends with ‘Airplane Song’ which wonderfully opens with a sound snippet of an aeroplane. The melody has a great retro vibe that brings a heavier soaking of funk. The guitar twangs make your head move while the beats get your foot tapping. Through the melody, you are thrown into a hazy sunny day before everything changes with a crash of almost warping guitars. This turns back to the funky tones while Rush’s vocals rest on your skin like warm air. The single is a great interplay between the easiness of going on holiday and the frustration of the last year of not being able to do very much.
Pan Arcadia take all the turbulence and frustration of the last year and spin it around into a musing on the world in Weeks Ago. Through the three tracks of the EP, you are given a lot to think about while riding some sentimental waves. With a touch of funk wrapped in their rock sound, the band has you moving forward while contemplating what has caused the changes we all see around us.
Find out more about Pan Arcadia on their website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
