The Arcs’ ‘Electrophonic Chronic’ – musical legacy & a cosmic journey through loss
Written by Erin Clark, Edited by Millie Cain
The Arcs’ Electrophonic Chronic (2023) shows the true nature of the camaraderie
involved in a band dynamic. After the unfortunate and untimely passing of bandmate
Richard Swift in 2018, the band have found solace in the shared union of song
writing and music production. The result is an intimate exploration into the notion of a
musical legacy and the overall healing power of music, wrapped up in an effortlessly
stylistic and fulfilling listening experience.
California-born Richard Swift, born Ricardo Ochoa, was a talented multi-
instrumentalist, songwriter producer and filmmaker. Since the Arcs’ conception in
2015 and until his passing in 2018, Swift was a key member of the effort, providing
percussion, keyboards and backing vocals on both of the band’s albums to date.
Swift’s untimely death came at the hands of medical following his battle with alcohol
addiction. Before his passing, Swift and the rest of the band wrapped on most of the
primary recording process on Electrophonic Chronic and so this exists as his last
earthly project. In the press release for the album, frontman Dan Auerbach described
to Pitchfork how the new record “is all about honouring Swift. 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.” After his passing, Auerbach credited
him as “one of the most talented musicians I know”, and on this album, Swift’s
instrumental prowess undeniably shines.
Track Three, ‘Heaven is a Place’ reads as a spiritual stream of consciousness,
attempting to comprehend the passing of a friend. Every instrument on this track is
played with such intention and emotion, overarchingly accompanied by Auerbach’s
entrancing vocal. Despite being a talented multi-instrumentalist, few know their own
voice’s place as an instrument as well as Auerbach. The emotion is palpable in this
track, especially when paired with the colourfully cosmic music video depicting Swift
leaving the rest of the band members to embark on his own otherworldly journey to
the place ‘where all the lovers go’ in a ‘dove white Cadillac’.
I’m sure we’re all familiar with the feeling of listening to an album and as it reaches
just after midway through listening, it begins to feel like wading through waist high
treacle just to reach the end. Where Electrophonic Chronic succeeds is in subverting
this well-known feeling, as the album hits its stride significantly in the second half.
That is not to say that the first half of the album is lacking in some way – it’s just that
the second half is a different beast entirely. I haven’t heard an album that works so
coherently and cohesively as a polished end product – yet still has enough edge to
be something that is completely new – in a very long time. With the undisputed
captain of the project, The Black Keys’ frontman Dan Auerbach, being such a prolific
and four-time Grammy nominated producer with credits on projects from Cage the
Elephant’s ‘Tell Me I’m Pretty’ (2017) to Lana Del Rey’s ‘Ultraviolence’ (2014) is
undoubtedly a huge advantage, one which has resulted in an undeniably well-
rounded and tenacious end product.
Standouts from the record include track eight ‘Behind The Eyes’ which features
beautiful guitar tones and a chorus that packs a significant punch, and track eleven
‘Love Doesn’t Live Here Anymore’ which effortlessly follows on from the brief speech
‘Sporting Girls Interlude’, boasting snappy percussion lines and impressive falsetto
vocals from Auerbach. The album is a neon-drenched cosmic journey into the
healing power of music, which doesn’t shy away from the darkness of life. The experience is wholly transformative, literally turning the bleakest moments into
colourful creativity. And I loved every second.
