Canadian alt-rockers Arcane Ghosts are done playing around! The up-and-coming alt-rockers have dropped their hard-hitting, mind-numbingly emotional new EP, Distant Youth, which could easily be the best alt-rock release of 2023.
Distant Youth will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions. We hope that you enjoy these songs we put together and, when you hear our lyrics, that you can relate to them in some way.
Arcane Ghosts on their latest EP, Distant Youth
Nearly two years in the making, conceptually created during COVID lockdown, is Distant Youth the powerhouse release that will send Arcane Ghosts to space? Or is their rocket scrubbed for launch? Let’s find out.
Opening Distant Youth with the slow vibes of “Rollercoaster” is an excellent use of low tension that surprisingly starts up the EP’s overall energy levels and keeps them high and consistent. Perfectly creating a starting point for an unforgettable musical experience with a bright-colored bow.
As with the other four tracks featured on Arcane Ghosts’ latest release, “Rollercoaster” keeps the sound palate cleansed as the band throws things for a loop when it comes to placing their sound into an organized genre.
The great thing about an opening track like “Rollercoaster” is when looped around for subsequent listens, it attaches itself perfectly into the final notes of “Fever Dreams” to keep the high-vibes and emotional river flowing for hours until you’ve lost all sense of time.
Once more, not conforming to genre norms, Arcane Ghosts showcases their pop-punk influences in yet another fast-paced, singalong anthem that continues to be perfect for your next gym session or city tour.
Continuing to prove why they’re the best up-and-coming alt-rock act of 2023, the attention to detail through the track’s production quality is perfection to the ears while listening through any pair of headphones as just like “Fever Dreams,” the track’s immense wall of sound bounces perfectly from ear-to-ear.
With songs like “In The Blue,” Distant Youth sets forth a collection of themes being explored that keeps each track featured stitched together while being displayed as their own unique bubble of sound; in the case of “In The Blue,” it could very well appear in the next great indie coming of age story. My heart still has yet to come down from the high that is this song’s instrumentals.
“Paralyzed;” my personal favorite. An emotional track that comes off as an early 2000s AMV (anime music video). I can honestly say I’ve had this track on repeat for a week that I could sing it lyric for lyric.
The high-energy antics continue as Arcane Ghosts reignite my love for the alternative rock genre. The larger-than-life themes presented in this track are stripped back, relatable, and wrapped in an easy-to-swallow note that will prove to be the fuel needed for these alt-rockers to lift off.
As mentioned with “In The Blue,” it’s the creative use of genre-bending showcased in “Paralyzed” that has my attention target-locked. A radio-friendly masterpiece that continues to keep Arcane Ghosts staying true to the EP’s overall flow and thematic tones.
Arcane Ghosts waste zero time pushing the limits with “Butterfly.” A fast-paced masterpiece looking to go on an adventure through the tunnel of fleeting emotions. Triggering the fight or flight sensation, “Butterfly” tackles mental health in various ways, ultimately becoming a highly relatable experience that had me singing for hours.
Instrumentally, as mentioned, “Butterfly” does not skip out on high-energy antics, which should lead the track to become a fan-favorite among the band’s live performances. The track’s roaring guitar riffs will become an earworm as listeners air guitar around the room.
Get familiar with the lyric, “say it’s all in my head,” because that string might very well be the jumping-off point of “Butterfly” becoming your new traffic-jam anthem or adrenaline fuel for your next treadmill session.
One of the group’s most recent singles, “Fever Dreams,” is a groovy dance session waiting to happen and further showcases Arcane Ghosts’ ability to jump from genre to genre, not once staying put in their designated lane.
Following the example set by “Butterfly,” “Fever Dreams” keeps energy levels high as bouncing riffs and drum beats travel through the senses, creating vibrant explosions of color while not dropping the emotional ball as lyrics such as “in the heat of fever dreams we lay/do you see me?” keep the heart strings tight.
In time, Arcane Ghosts’ latest EP, Distant Youth, will prove to be an instant classic and the start of an outstanding career. As mentioned throughout the review, Distant Youth keeps a consistent pace while fluctuating through various energy levels, leading the band to bounce between genres perfectly.
Distant Youth has an experience for any listener willing to let loose and let these Canadian alt-rockers take hold for less than thirty minutes. With a release like this, I’ll be keeping an eye on the fantastic journey this band has coming their way over the horizon.
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