GETTOKNOW: ArcaneGhosts

Toronto-based high energy alternative band

Interview By: Ashley Reyes

Q: Some of your songs from your EP were released years ago, what has the writing and recording process been like for this EP throughout the years?

A: For Distant Youth, the writing and recording process remained consistent despite the gaps between recording songs. Most of it was written through more of a quiet setting with all of us in a room (taking the proper precautions due to COVID), as opposed to jamming as a full band due to losing our preferred option because we rented studios by the hour. This change allowed us to hear every single part properly whether a guitar riff or a vocal hook, and consequently we created our strongest music because of it.

Q: What are some bands that have influenced your music?

A: The band that has the biggest influence on our music is easily Dance Gavin Dance, but some other bands that influence our music in some way are Green Day, blink-182 and Tiny Moving Parts, Mayday Parade, All Time Low, Cartel and many more. In another general sense, we more so like to look at it as taking influence from genres rather than specific artists. A lot of Distant Youth was influenced by some indie/alt rock aesthetics, math rock guitar riffs and the general essence of pop music by writing the catchiest riffs and vocal hooks we could at the time.

Q: Are there any tours currently in the works?

A: Sadly not… we’re mainly just playing shows around our home of Toronto for the time being. However, that could change depending on who’s reading this and takes an interest in us. Maybe a booking agent will like us? Someone who works for a label? We’ll just have to wait and see.

Q: What was your favorite song from the EP to work on?

A: For me (Steven) it was definitely our song Rollercoaster. I strongly believed in the potential of it when Jason first showed us the initial riff (which opens the song), and it was immediately mind-blowing. I thought to myself, “Holy shit… this is a hit. I can’t believe Jason wrote something this catchy.”. It basically set something off in me where my writing just really flowed with it, and I was able to write some really cool bass lines around that initial idea

Q: How has your music changed from your debut EP to your current EP?

A: To put it simply, everything is just better There’s stronger and more memorable riffs, catchier and more melodic vocal hooks, more nuanced and deeper lyrics…. Our production has also improved drastically as well as our general understanding of what makes a good song. It all takes time but it seems like Arcane Ghosts is truly hitting its stride

Q: What has been the most difficult part of bringing this EP to life?

A: This EP was written during a worldwide pandemic Looking back, it was so complicated to write in the same room due to all the restrictions that were in place by the law. In order to write solid riffs, we tried many times to have zoom calls with each other to experiment with different riffs, but there were factors involved that we couldn't control such as background noise and frequent latency in the video. Prior to Distant Youth, Jason would write about 75% of the song and have it completed and bring it to the band, but this time around everyone was a part of the process of writing each song from start to finish.

Q: Which music video has been your favorite to create?

A: It would have to be the newest one “Paralyzed”, which is the song that’s being released for the first time (the other four songs were released as singles beforehand). We shot the video earlier this year, and there were so many different locations ranging from Burlington beaches to Hamilton industrials and a house we rented for the whole day in Oakville. We wanted to create a music video where the visuals do all the talking, and our video director/cameraman Roberto Spadafora did a wonderful job of doing that

N A S H V I L L E L O C A L S , V E S P E R , P E R F O R M F I R S T S H O W A S F U L L B A N D

Vesper

Review And Photography By Ashley Reyes

After seeing Vesper live on stage for the first time, you’d doubt it was their first time performing together. Despite some early technical difficulties, their performance went well, drawing in a room full of people that you wouldn’t expect for a band’s first show together Their talent and passions showed on stage and it was visibly that they put everything into their performance Vocalist Janie White’s singing live matched the beautiful voice you hear in her recorded music and she brings a rush of energy to her performance

The packed crowd moved along to the music, showcasing their enjoyment despite some of their songs being unreleased They included a cover of Taylor Swift’s You Belong With Me that did the original justice, and performed their released songs, Dirt and Pulling Teeth, which was incredible to witness live for the first time We can only hope that there are more shows and new music in the near future