UK Alternative-rock band Ghost Arcadia release inspirational and distinctive single "Never Break," produced by well-renowned Bring Me The Horizon's record producer, Al Groves.
Sometimes to achieve something you feel has never been done before in music or has not been uniquely utilized to its full advantage, one must be able to have the instrumental guts and lyrical fortitude to pursue that vision. Delving into the grey areas of a genre and redefining the possibilities of what can be can be a scary journey for any band just starting, but for UK alternative band Ghost Arcadia, it was an opportunity they welcomed with open arms.
“I think it’s important for people to know that they aren’t alone. Failure is not the end. It is one small step in the massive journey we call life. You just gotta pick yourself up and keep on moving. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that, so this song is a reminder, a helping hand to anyone who needs it.”
Creating something new while reaching back to the bands and genres that inspired them to do what they do is something they have thrived on, and it's something that resonates in their latest single, "Never Break." Conceptualized during the pandemic lockdown, and produced by Al Groves, who's worked on successful acts such as Bring Me The Horizon, Ghost Arcadia has taken their sound to another brilliant multi-genre level of heavy.
"Never Break" not only represents the ethics of bouncing back strongly for its listeners but for the band, a personal turning point for their sound and evolution of things to come in the future. Ghost Arcadia has made a few lasting impressions already, but if they continue to deliver on this level, "Never Break" is just the start of an impressive future ahead for them.
What started Ghost Arcadia? What is the story behind your name as a band?
Ghost Arcadia was created to explore the grey areas of genre and delve into the possibilities of what can be. We all have strong bonds to alternative music and wanted to build off of that. We wanted to express ourselves by creating something new and exciting whilst paying tribute to what had come before.
The name was created to represent that journey. We are guided by our ghosts to create a brand new arcadia.
What are your musical influences? What instrumental or band influences inspired your new single "Never Break?" You are an alternative band, but there is also a vast presence of other music genres.
We try to pull inspiration from everywhere and everything. This song was conceptualized during the first lockdown. It came from a place of anger and frustration. We wanted quite an industrial arrangement with flourishes of nu-metal, heavy rock, and early Eminem.
How has this creative process different from anything you guys have worked on in the past? You guys had two singles back in 2019 and 2020 that came out, "Midnight" and "Glory." How has this single helped you evolve this year?
"Never Break" really helped start a new chapter for us. During the pandemic lockdown, we would have meetings via video chat, discussing our journey, where we were going as a band, and really start to pull apart what the "Ghost Arcadia sound" was and what that meant to us. We realized that we could be more than just the music we create - and that has become something that’s quite important to us - spreading a universal message that people can relate to. "Never Break" was the first song from the "lockdown batch" which reached fruition. It was the important first step in announcing our new sound. But this is just the beginning, we have much more to come, and we are happy with how we are evolving.
You worked with Al Groves, who's worked on successful acts such as Bring Me The Horizon. What was that experience like working with him on this latest single, "Never Break?" How did that impact the creative process?
Honestly, Al Groves is a top bloke! He scouted us out during the second lockdown and asked us to shoot some demos over to him. After we sent the demos over, he immediately asked us to jump on a video chat with him. He was lovely. He told us that he really believed in our sound and what we were trying to create. We talked about music and influences for a while and it was good to see we had similar interests.
We’ve been burned by a few people with false promises in the past, so we’re always a bit wary when people approach us out of the blue, but Al felt genuine from the get-go which was refreshing. From then on, we had weekly meetings where we would discuss the songs and where he felt they needed to develop more. We then went to his studio in Liverpool and it was nothing short of awesome. A very surreal experience. He was incredibly hands-on, his input and knowledge were exactly what we needed to bring the song to life - we honestly can’t thank him enough for what he’s done for us!
Getting into the lyrical standpoint of "Never Break," we tie into some pressuring themes of anyone that has ever been knocked down in society. There is always that light at the end of that tunnel to get back up again. What made you guys want to write this song?
I think it’s important for people to know that they aren’t alone. Failure is not the end. It is one small step in the massive journey we call life. You just gotta pick yourself up and keep on moving. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that, so this song is a reminder, a helping hand to anyone who needs it. My dad’s favorite mantra is, "fall down seven times, stand up eight" I had that in my head a lot when I wrote these lyrics. Hopefully, people can relate!
What is next for you guys this year? Does this single dive into an album or EP in the works?
We’re not doing another EP for the foreseeable future. At least not in the traditional sense. Releasing singles allows us to spread our resources in a more conservative manner, so that’s the route we’re going to go down for now. Whether the singles share a theme that builds to an EP or not? That’s something we’ve discussed but haven’t decided on yet. We’ll have to see. As for an album? We’d obviously love to, but we just don’t have the funding for it at this time. Of course, we have ideas, but we’d want the budget to do it right. Never say never.
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