Arc Iris Announce New Single

This autumn, Arc Iris releases Icon Of Ego, their third groundbreaking album, as a trio that packs the heft of a far bigger band with fully realised sonic and visual intensity. Overcoming rebuffs and rejections, Arc Iris has become an unstoppable force out of necessity. On Icon Of Ego, they deliver heavily and ask nothing in return. The group’s two previous albums, Arc Iris and Moon Saloon, were both released to critical acclaim.

Originally formed in Providence, R.I., by singer-songwriter Jocie Adams who was coming off a term with The Low Anthem, the group initially embodied an eight-piece rock orchestra, creating innovative dynamics of rhythm and melody with a full colour palette. Four years on, Arc Iris are just three musicians: lead vocalist Adams, keyboardist and sample artist Zach Tenorio-Miller, and drummer Ray Belli. They have crafted a vividly expressionistic new album that reflects both the group’s protean talents as well as its journey of survival.

Soon after its self-named 2014 debut on the ANTI- label, Arc Iris faced considerable adversity. Critical acclaim, tours with St. Vincent, Jeff Tweedy, and festivals like Bonnaroo followed, all creating the belief that they had beaten the long music industry odds. However, the group lost its manager, followed by its booking agent, then was dropped from the label. Band members departed. Opportunities evaporated. Through it all, Adams, Tenorio-Miller and Belli worked with undiminished energy and reinvented themselves as a quartet, which included Robin Ryczek on cello. Within two years, Arc Iris self-released Moon Saloon. Soon after this release, Ryczek left to teach cello in Afghanistan, and the three remaining members, once again, set about adapting. Arc Iris assembled its own promotions team and booked its own shows. Notable is what Arc Iris has achieved completely by itself: tours supporting Kimbra, Gene Ween, a complete re-imagination of Joni Mitchell’s Blue performed at Washington’s Kennedy Center, and a growing, international fan base that has remained dedicated throughout.

Icon Of Ego finds a happy middle with a smaller label, a more focused support team, and a stronger, more experienced band. Recording at Providence’s Columbus Theater, home to silent movies and vaudeville during the ‘20s, the band has evolved into a concentrated pop-prog explosion, mixing styles with disparate elements that captivate and surprise.

The group has always embraced theatricality. Displaying an array of costumes, flare, and light rigs, enhanced by choreographed dance moves, an Arc Iris live performance is a proper spectacle that matches the group’s manifest musical abilities and talents. A whole new live experience accompanies the Icon Of Ego performances. With heavy synthesizer work by Tenorio and Adams, and seemingly impossible transitions executed effortlessly by Belli, the songs on Icon of Ego carry a thick, analogue electronic sound that harks back to the ‘70s. Presiding over these are Adams’ powerful vocals that house the energy under pop forms.

Icon of Ego track list:

1. $GNMS

2. Dylan & Me

3. If You Can See

4. Turn It Up

5. Icon of Ego

6. Chattermachines

7. Beautiful Minds

8. Everybody's Counting on Her

9. Suzy

10. Tokyo (bonus track)