Everything’s Fine With Pan Arcadia
Spotlight feature written by Beau Croxton, all photos by Tommy Krause
Pan Arcadia by Tommy Krause
Pan Arcadia’s new album Everything’s Fine is a resilient and joyous display of bold creativity. At the heart of the record lies camaraderie and an unshakeable bond of musical brotherhood.
If you've been around the live music scene in New York City or Brooklyn in recent years, Pan Arcadia is probably a name you've come across.
The band was started by childhood friends in New York City, and expanded into the rock and roll quintet you see today– consisting of Eamon Rush(vocals) Henry McGrath (bass) Dylan Kelly (guitar) Gabe Gonzales (guitar) and Brian Duke (drums).
The band’s core sound feels like a modern take on the rock-revival sound of the early aughts– it harkens back to strummy rock of bands like The Strokes, The Libertines, Arctic Monkeys and even the indie-sleaze LCD Soundsystem. Pan Arcadia is known for high energy performances, interlocking guitar parts and singer Eamon Rush’s charismatic deep crooning.
Their self-titled debut Pan Arcadia was an excellent and rockin’ release– it carried a lively energy, and it was a very New York-sounding modern rock record. It received wide acclaim from the likes of Mojo, Clash Magazine, Rolling Stone editor David Fricke, KCRW, WFUV among others.
Notably, Pan Arcadia has been on a local killing spree since their inception– they went from playing dive bars, to sold-out shows at Mercury Lounge, to multiple sold-out shows at Bowery Ballroom in quick succession.
The band also knows how to throw a hell of party– they've gained a local reputation for playing shows at abandoned churches, hosting epic rooftop parties/shows, and performing public NYC park shows regularly.
Pan Arcadia by Tommy Krause
EVERYTHING’S FINE
This Friday October 10th, the group will release their sophomore album– Everything’s Fine– and although the music is quite joyous, it's been a bit of a tough road to the record. Tragedy struck the band when bassist Henry McGrath’s father Doug McGrath passed away suddenly in 2022. Since then, while the band created the album, seven more friends or loved ones of the band have sadly passed away.
The title of the record , Everything’s Fine, is a reference to the title of (Henry’s dad) Doug Mcgrath’s one man play– but it's also a reference to a phrase that Doug’s father would say to him during turbulent times. This message resonated with the group, and despite all their recent losses, they found solace as brothers in music. Pan Arcadia came together to support one another as they expanded their art into introspective and cheerful places. Through the hard times, they were able to bond, create some beautiful memories, and some great songs. The result is a resounding, free-spirited rock record– it's the sound of a band having a blast while being fearless in their creativity.
Everything's Fine still honors Pan Arcadia’s New York-rocker influences like the Strokes and the Ramones- but the band has totally spiked their sonic punch with something exotic. As many of us know- usually, most bands will largely stick the same formula as their debut for their sophomore effort. It's more common for bands to wait till their 3rd album to drastically switch up their sound.
But Pan Arcadia have released plenty of singles and EPs in between records, and they are keen to shake things up boldly on Everything’s Fine. There's all sorts of adventurous additions to their core sound here– funk, boom bap beats, and beyond.
The album opener “Connected” kicks off with ragtime-esque piano, Brian Duke’s peppy drums and some excellent, sliding basslines courtesy of bassist Henry Mcgrath. The chorus features vocals from NYC band Mayqueen, and the track surprisingly leans into a gleeful, David Byrne-like optimism that the band has never touched on before.
The track is also accented by busy strings and orchestration– this song’s wide palette comes across as a bold move to let you know the record will keep you on your toes. It's a fantastic opener and a very interesting, left-field kumbaya moment. “Connected” feels like Pan Arcadia’s warped take on a more surreal track like “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” by the Beatles.
Pan Arcadia by Tommy Krause
It's not just the sounds of the album that were diverse– it was the locations as well. Speaking to Occult, singer Eamon Rush added “This album was different from our last one, because it was made over a longer period of time in multiple recording setups. A lot of the songs were done in a live setting with full bleed and no click– but a few others were more pieced together. We recorded some of them at a studio Brian worked at called The Carriage House, but others were done at home setups in a more DIY style. We’ll let the audience try to figure out which ones are which…”
The third track “Into The Glass” is notable in its bold new sounds as well– it revolves around a snapping, 90s boom-bap beat and some incredibly catchy, multi-layered whistles that will be sure to get stuck in your head for weeks. Eamon added that this song was produced by Hugo White of The Maccabees— it proved to be a strong link-up, because if Pan Arcadia has a “jingle”, it's definitely this tune.
If Pan Arcadia’s first record was the band debuting their defining core-sound to the world– Everything’s Fine finds the band practically using the studio as an instrument to expand outward in surprising ways. Speaking on the sound, Eamon added “We wanted to focus more on post-production than we did for our last record, even on the tracks that were done in a live setting. This meant spending more time experimenting with layering and effects. We also moved from Logic to Pro Tools– which gave us more flexibility to pull the sessions up in different studio setups.”
Fans of Pan Arcadia’s debut LP will be happy that there’s plenty more where that came from. “Limousines” carries their trademark strummy 2000s-rock swagger from their guitarists Dylan Kelly and Gabe Gonzales and the aughts-rock vibe of their debut, albeit with some new touches that sound like The Cars. Eamon’s prolonged crooning on the chorus melodies carries the same clever pop sensibilities that made their debut record such a bop.
“Follow Through” kicks off with passionate vocals from Eamon that seemingly nod to the late, great New York Dolls singer, David Johansen– while guitarists Dylan Kelly and Gabe Gonzales kick up a storm with killer guitar parts that land somewhere between The Strokes or The Rolling Stones. It's a total rock and roller that celebrates rock and roll itself, especially considering its classic-rock nods to songs like “I Am Walrus”.
Pan Arcadia by Tommy Krause
Between both their albums, Pan Arcadia have seemed intent on letting you know there’s always going to be one clear, big anthem. Much like “You Are Who You Remain” from their debut LP, "Don't Mean Much (featuring Bec Lauder and the Noise)” leans into an anthemic sound that feels larger than life, more accessible and more universal– it's a huge “throw your lighters up” moment that should be very memorable at their live shows.
Interestingly enough, after such a poppy, serious and big moment, the band playfully follows it up with a loose, rockin’ and feel good bar-room stomper. “Beer Shot Combo” is a purely fun indie-sleaze banger about meeting with girls in mosh pits and finding a hell of a deal at your favorite local watering hole. After all, everyone could use a bit of good, silly fun and rock n’ roll between life’s more serious moments.
All in all – Everything’s Fine is a great listen from a catchy rock band that sounds dead set on expanding any which way they please, and they sound like they are having an absolute blast doing it. Much like their debut, the record is quite potent, but it’s far more unpredictable in a very fun and playful way.
If you're into catchy, hook-heavy modern rock from bands like Wet Leg or The Strokes (...or if you love the entire rock-revival scene of the early 2000s) Pan Arcadia just might be your new fave. After all, Pan Arcadia can throw one hell of a party and write a hell of a sing-along.
As noted before– Everything’s Fine is also an album with a lot of heart, resilience and significance for its authors–Pan Arcadia added:
“This record is dedicated to Douglas McGrath, Mary Bliss McGrath, Frances Molloy, Antonio Maria Gonzalez, Nelida Sofia Hernandez de Gonzalez, Tiger Bech, Jacqueline A. Steven, and Robert Spencer.”
Be sure to catch their release show(s) this Thursday and Friday at Night Club 101!
Get your tickets here for
Get your tickets here for
Everything’s Fine is out everywhere this Friday October 10th! Check out the singles below, follow Pan Arcadia on Spotify, and presave the album.
You can support Pan Arcadia directly here.