Arlie is Atlantic Records newly signed alternative band fusing a sound both futuristic and vintage. Reminiscent of an 80s boy band, Arlie flirts with an aroma of nostalgic youth, like a mix between a 1984 Testarossa and The Jetson’s hovercraft. The group began in the Vanderbilt dorm room of Nathaniel Banks, the frontman, and soon followed with guitarist Carson Lystad, and drummer Adam Lochemes. In the experimental phase of their inception, Banks conceptualized their sound learning to emulate old tape machines and analog mixing boards, resulting in dreamy demos filled with hushed vocals, bleary guitars, uptempo drums, and effervescent keyboards.

“I’ve always been drawn to the harmonic structure of music from the 40’s and 50’s and 60’s,” Banks explains, “but I’m also fascinated by modern production technology. I love the vibe of old analog recordings, but at the same time, I’m really interested in the creative process of Soundcloud rappers and kids who are just uploading lo-fi music straight from their bedrooms. With Arlie, I wanted to make something that paired vintage aesthetics with a progressive mentality.”

The group quickly generated a buzz in the Nashville scene playing gigs at house parties and local gatherings, but the heat turned up with the release of their debut single, “big fat mouth,” which kicks off their debut EP, Wait. It came time to shift gears from bedroom recordings to a full-fledged EP, utilizing raw tracks from initial demos to manifest release-ready tunes. Arlie’s introduction to the music world, Wait, is brimming with lyrical metaphors and sentimentality, turning an eye to the self-deprecating and superficial generation upon us. Fixated with adolescence, golden age ideas, solar eclipses, and mental paralyses, the EP acts as a lens to Arlie’s retro-futurism.