Some of my absolute favorite music of all time is the stuff I’ve stumbled upon accidentally. It’s one of the most refreshing experiences to unearth hidden gems with a new and captivating sound that speaks to you. That’s how it was for me when I discovered Brooklyn-based rock band Pan Arcadia last fall. A picnic on a sunny September day in Washington Square Park with my friends led to me finding one of my favorite artists at the moment when I heard the band playing from across the park. I was allured by the blaring garage rock with soulful horns, driving guitar riffs, and mellow vocals that are very reminiscent of post-punk singers such as Joy Division’s Ian Curtis or The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas. My friends and I danced, laughed, and embraced the hazy autumn weather as we watched the band command the stage.
Witnessing the local band’s growth in real-time since the day I discovered them playing in the park has been so inspiring, and it was most apparent at their recent debut album release show. The concert, held at indie scene favorite The Mercury Lounge, brought the band’s fan-favorite tracks to life. Pan Arcadia is a sonically cohesive musical journey, full of blistering and relentless guitar rock with touches of soul and funk, all wrapped up with earnest yet catchy vocal melodies. Their self-titled debut seems to strike the sweet spot of perfect harmony between nostalgia and ingenuity. It’s clear they’ve taken notes from their indie rock predecessors, but they certainly stray from sounding too emulative. I’ve been enthralled by their musical efforts thus far, and I’m so excited to share my interview with the NYC-native band.
Her Campus: Introduce yourselves!
Eamon (singer/songwriter), Dylan (guitarist), and Henry (bassist) are all native New Yorkers. Gabe “Gonzo” is a guitarist and an honorary New Yorker, but he’s originally from Venezuela. Brian is a drummer who grew up in Connecticut and has been living in Brooklyn for the past five years. Jimmy is a trumpet player and a “New Yorker,” but he’s from Long Island.
HC: What was it like forming the band? Who were your musical inspirations? How did Pan Arcadia become what it is now?
Dylan: Forming the band has been an odyssey.
Eamon: I started my first rock band in second grade. I grew up listening to The Ramones, Television, The Velvet Underground, and other legendary alternative New York musicians. In middle school, I discovered The Strokes and other 2000s rock revival bands who cemented my belief that there was still an audience for guitar music in the 21st century. I met Dylan and we bonded over this belief and started the band. I met Henry on a basketball court in high school, and we were introduced to Gabe at a house party in 2019.
Henry: We cut our teeth playing small NYC dives and lounges. Along the way, we met Brian, who joined permanently after a last-minute fill-in with Pan Arcadia at The Mercury Lounge.
Gabe: We discovered Jimmy playing his trumpet on a lamppost in Washington Square Park. It was the day Biden got elected, and he was playing “Nah Nah Nah, Hey Hey, Goodbye.” I had wanted to get a real trumpet on our track “Airplane Song” and sought him out for that layer. When he came over to do it he started jamming on some other songs and we decided to add him to the full lineup.
Dylan: The sound has kinda come to us naturally over the years, we would just start jamming ideas together and kept at it until it felt right. It’s been really nice to finally start getting some of these songs we wrote so long ago out into the world.
Jimmy: I try to keep the band engaging while trying to not be flashy. Bands/icons that I think nail this goal in performing are Elvis Costello and Bowie.
HC: What was the creative process for creating your first album like? Is it a fully collaborative effort, or does one member take the lead when it comes to writing songs? Are there any specific artists or other projects that inspired the album?
Henry: The songs on album one are a mix of some Eamon, Gabe, and Dylan originals. In some cases, it’s a fully fleshed-out vision. In others, it’s a more raw vision that we can all add our own spice to.
Brian: We did a group quarantine before going to record album one and I remember sitting at the Shack, our band house, and soldering together a few dozen mic cables. We put on The Beatles’ documentary, Get Back, that had just come out, and watching the behind-the-scenes of their creative process really got us inspired to go and record.
We really wanted to get the songs on the first album recorded and released since they are fan favorites. But now that those are done, we’ve been making an effort to write as a group, which has brought a whole new energy to the band.
Jimmy: Eamon, Gabe, and Dylan wrote this batch of songs, and the band came together to arrange and produce the record. Thankfully it was a collaboration because, as I ended up learning, there is such a thing as too much trumpet.
HC: What do you hope people take away from your music?
Henry: Joy. At the end of the day, that’s all it’s really about – we hope they leave every show looking at the world a little differently.
Jimmy: Ecstasy.
What’s next for Pan Arcadia?
Eamon: Album two is on the way! Got a couple of music videos coming out in March and April. We’re heading out to LA at the end of March too. KCRW DJ Jose Galvan invited us out to play the Paramount, so we’re making a little tour out of it and playing some shows out west. We’re all very excited.
Pan Arcadia’s self-titled debut album is available now to stream on Spotify and Apple Music! Check out their website for more information about the band.