Newcastle indie outfit Central Arcade follow up debut EP Matter with new single Shining Sea—written in ten minutes and recorded with Ben Squire at the John Marley Centre.
Sound-wise, throbbing bass, shiny guitar lines and bouncy beats lay down a vibrant backdrop for a distinctive, melodic vocal. There are nods to early eighties post-punk and nineties indie, delivered with a confident, contemporary edge.
Here, the band tell us about the inspirations behind the track…
Musically the song was inspired heavily by The Cure and Big Country, leading us to experiment in the studio with synths and an ebow which we hadn’t previously done before, or had the opportunity to use live. These two new features are key throughout the song and add a real depth to the dynamics making it more interesting than the original demo we had. The use of chorus pedals on the electric guitars & the use of a 12 string acoustic guitar are also a real nod to The Cure, especially their late 80s & 90s sound.
All the lyrics I (Conall, singer) wrote are about my Grandma, Muriel and are all a nod to her in one way or another. From the song title “Shining Sea” which translates to “Muriel”, or the lyrics, for example “Holy water, Hanging rosary beads” reflect the religious part of her. While other parts of the song are heavily associated with grief “Someday someway new, I’ll find you” but in the same sense it’s full of hope that I will find her “Shining Sea” / see her again one day. The sense of hope is also reinforced through the song being in a major key through out, along with the upbeat tempo created by the rhythm section.
