track of the week ~ 'anywhere else' ~ little arcadia

An anthemic call to arms, this title track from North Coast four piece 'Little Arcadia's latest EP is proof that the weight of expectation on a band isn't necessarily always a bad thing.

A slow building, hook heavy affair, 'Anywhere Else' see's all the potential this young group have steadily polished since their early days bloom into one hell of a chorus, made all the better with some poetic love/lost lyricism to boot. The pile driving, foot to the floor indie riffs this band are so clearly capable of are not rushed out here, instead choosing their time and place to arise from the song. Indeed, throughout this entire Ep the band show their attention to detail, getting the very most out of every melody.

There's a delicacy too to frontman Eunan Brown's vocal; it's visceral, full of emotion like the crashing guitars which surround it. Much like Owen Strathern of Oh Volcano (formerly General Fiasco), Brown sounds on the edge of collapse, nearly screaming into some of the songs later verses, and it sounds great. There's a North Coast charm to this record too, the soaring riffs of lead guitarist Dillon Templeton echoing ASIWYFA at times.

Whilst this track (yet to be released as a single, though there's still time!), treads the fine line between alt-rock and indie, it does so with utter respect to both genres. Whether you want to look cool with some music blasting in your car, or loose yourself in a mosh-pit, 'Anywhere Else' covers all the bases.

Taylor Johnson