Arc Waves

While half of Brooklyn was banging away in besotted bedroom crawlspaces cobbling some amalgam of an avant-noise post-rock electro-gaze masterpiece, Arc Waves broke the code. In The Sound The Circle, to be released November 17th, bandmates Elaine Lachica, Brandon Jaffe, Mike Hodges and Joe Beach pulled out all the wires in their machine in order to construct a more perfect heart for their music. Elements of Deerhoof and Mogwai are readily apparent in their tone and color, but the vibrant and meticulous production distinguishes them as more than just another laptop fart bubble. Recorded at Rare Book Room Studios (Deerhunter, War On Drugs, Wye Oak) in Brooklyn, The Sound The Circle was engineered, mixed and co-produced by Gabe Wax (Here We Go Magic, Beirut, Palehound). The record release party is scheduled for Novamber 16 at Pianos. - The Deli

A perfect moment in time occurred in Brooklyn when Elaine Lachica (vocals, keyboard, bass, guitar) started writing songs with newly met Brandon Jaffe (lead guitar). The two met at a rehearsal space back in 2013 then realized that they were creating something they liked. Along the way, they picked up the drummer Mike Hodges and a bassist, which later quit the band after they finished recording their self-titled EP in 2014. Another year passes by as the trio makes progress, then Joe Beach (Bass, keyboards, guitar, vocals) joined and completely changed their approach when it came to songwriting.
Arc Waves will be releasing their first full-length album “the sound the circle” worldwide on November 17th, 2017. Here is another single off the upcoming album. - Impose

I feel a strong urge to write off anything described in a combination of incoherent and randomly strung together adjectives. Although Arc Waves have been described as “pastoral post-shoe gaze” (a joke? I hope), their new record The Sound The Circle is not a single bit as horrid as that classification would have you think.
Throughout the record lead vocalist, Elaine Lachica displays a range and intensity more akin to Bjork than any of her contemporary, underground rock peers. There’s voice distortion, manipulation, and range—which in the current musical landscape feels highly experimental.


Today we’re premiering Arc Waves new record, The Sound The Circle ahead of it’s official release on November 17th. Listen below and catch the band at their record release show tomorrow night. - Alt Citizen

Defining yourself as a Brooklyn band can sometimes be detrimental to first impressions. Much of the music coming out of the New York City borough lately has the unfortunate tendency to sound homogeneous. Yet it's the distinguishing qualities that separate one group from a swarm of hipster clones.

Arc Waves is a Brooklyn band, but one that offers something refreshing to the music scene. It’s their combination of a British-punk influence and the classically-trained airy vocals of lead singer Elaine Lachica. Both drummer Mike Hodges and Lachica come from a professional music background, while guitarist Brandon Jaffe and bassist William McCormack bring the ‘80s British vibe to the band’s music.

“With a lot of the Brooklyn bands, they’re using a lot of the same stuff,” Lachica said in an interview at Brooklyn bar Crown Victoria. “The great thing about this band is that it’s not just the parts, it’s what’s underneath.” Lachica described the band’s writing process as stripping everything down to the bare essentials. Then the rest of the members begin layering the songs with their own unique musical styles. “We wanna do something that really explores the different things we’ve done,” Jaffe explained. While Jaffe and McCormack are big lovers of British pop and punk, Hodges brings his combo of electric and analogue drums to the band's sound, which overall is inspired by the music of Joy Division and Cocteau Twins.

Arc Waves recently released their first single, “Half Dome," on Jersey City radio station WFMU, where they're performing live on August 28. Their debut EP is scheduled for release this September. The band isn’t just putting their music out solo though; they have help from a producer who believes in them so much that he’s creating a label around them. The band cut a demo with studio owner Chris Butler who soon after decided to form Ghost Station Records and record all of their music. “It’s like a Motown thing. He wants to form something in Brooklyn to capture everything that’s going on right now,” Jaffe said. “It's the beginning of a Brooklyn collective.” - The Huffington Post

New York City is teeming with over eight million people and countless landmarks, but all it took was one recording studio in Bushwick to bring together co-founding members of Arc Waves, classical soprano Elaine Lachica and new wave guitarist Brandon Jaffe. Despite the chance encounter, the two struck up a musical chemistry, building on their mutual love for dreamy indie rock. The band was later rounded out with the rhythm section of Mike Hodges and William McCormack, and then officially realized with the release of last year’s self-titled EP, a four-track collection anchored by standout single “Half Dome”.

Now, almost exactly 12 months later, Arc Waves have returned with their first piece of new music in 2015 and first proper follow-up to the EP. Picking up where the band last left off on “Half Dome”, new song “Transmission” is a glowing tapestry of mesmeric vocals and shoegaze-y guitars.

“‘Transmission’ is about the energy and electricity we feel when we play our music for people,” the band explains to Consequence of Sound. It also exudes a distinct sense of urgency, much like the bustle of their Big Apple hometown. - Consequence of Sound

Having met by chance in a recording studio in Bushwick, classically trained singer Elaine Lachica and guitarist Brandon Jaffe bonded over their mutual love of dreamy indie rock/pop bands, which set the foundation for Arc Waves' musical DNA. With the addition of bass player Joe Beach and drummer Mike Hodges, the band started forging a texturally layered sound, merging droney distorted guitars, ethereal vocals, and electronic elements with new wave and shoegazer influences. In their most recent release, “Transmission” (streaming) the guitar sputters more enthusiastically than ever before, but Lachicas' soprano still echoes throughout the song creating a cavernous, enveloping sound. Take a gander below and don’t forget to catch Arc Wave down by South Street Seaport for the annual Out To See Festival on 3.11. - The Deli Magazine (NYC)

A dose of Dream Pop for the new year: Arc Waves

Will we ever grow tired of artists inspired by British dream pop legends The Cocteau Twins? We doubt it. Here's a brand new NYC band that quite unapologetically brushes up the ethereal sound and vocal stylings of Elizabeth Fraser and company: they are called Arc Waves, and their debut self titled EP came out in September 2014. They've been playing shows at Pianos and Bowery Electric. - The Deli Magazine (NYC)

Ghost Station Records has released the debut self-titled EP by Arc Waves. The Brooklyn-based foursome (Elaine Lachica, Brandon Jaffe, William McCormack, and Mike Hodges) echo the heyday of 4AD and Factory Records with swooning dream pop mixed with a dash of punk. The lead single ‘Half Dome’ shows off Elaine’s serious vocal chops! - Sounds Better With Reverb (Australia)

Formed just last year, Brooklyn's Arc Waves have seemingly struck gold with current single "Half Dome".

It's taken from their debut EP (out now via Ghost Station records), and with nods to some of your favourite bands of yesteryear, it plays the juxtaposition card to perfection, combining pacy dream-pop guitars with Elaine Lachica's wonderful, almost operatic vocals. - One for the People (UK)

Arc Waves: Arc Waves
September 30 2014 (Ghost Station Records)
Rating: 7.5/10
Words: Pollyanna Sheehan

Arc Waves are an exciting four-piece hailing from Brooklyn, New York that consist of Brandon Jaffe on guitar, William McCormack on bass, Mike Hodges on drums and Elaine Lachica, the processor of the stunning vocals that are to be heard on this, their debut EP.

Upon hearing the first few seconds of lead single ‘Half Dome’, it initially sounds like it could be a track by any other indie rock band around at the moment - but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing since the song fulfils all of the necessary criteria with a catchy, upbeat intro and well-timed drums, bass and electric guitar. However, it is the addition of the classically-trained Lachica’s hauntingly beautiful voice that helps to distinguish Arc Waves from those other bands.

Each song to be found on the EP offers something different. ‘Look Straight At Me’ is another upbeat track that showcases Jaffe’s beautiful electric guitar melodies, whilst Hodge and McCormack make simplistic contributions on drums and bass, allowing for Lachica to explore her incredibly high vocal range, before settling again.

Third song ‘Cascades’ is a standout. From the start it is a little more intense than the others, thanks to the strong electric guitar and bass presence. Smooth guitar solos, interesting and constant bassline playing underneath the vocal, the latter more stronger and more urgent than it has been previously on the previous tracks.

Closing number ‘Galaxies’ presents contrasting sound once more. A relaxed, tranquil sound from the band, smooth meandering vocal over prominent electric drumbeats and a simple electric guitar melody, against which gentle cymbal crashes all complementing each other perfectly.

Overall, 'Arc Waves' is an extremely promising release from this new band. It will be interesting to see how their sound develops in the future, as they have shown in these four tracks that they certainly have the scope to proceed in any of a number of directions. - Little Indie Blogs (UK)

"Check out this dreamy show on Friday night at Radio Bushwick, showcasing some local bands like ambient shoe gazers Dead Leaf Echo and Bushwick’s Arc Waves. You are bound to be swept off to a dream-like state and dance until you feel dizzy. Enjoy!" - Bushwick Daily

Formed last year in Brooklyn after meeting via Craigslist, the four-piece Arc Waves put out the first single, 'Half Dome', from their upcoming debut EP recently, and in response have been receiving a fair amount of glowing praise.

Alikened to the style of Beach House, Deerhunter and St. Vincent, they are fronted by the classically-trained Elaine Lachica, who provides somewhat ethereal vocals over a sonic guitar landscape and electronic and acoustic drums.

'Half Dome' captures an essence of their influences, Joy Division and Cocteau Twins (Lachica's voice having been compared to that of Elizabeth Fraser), with the result being a driving affair, governed by some sumptuous spacey guitar and Lachica's quite beautiful, high-soaring voice.

If you're about in Williamsburg tomorrow (August 30), you can catch Arc Waves live here. We understand ex-Smiths man Andy Rourke is also part of the show. - Little Indie Blogs (UK)

Provenientes de diferentes territorios musicales, los miembros de Arc Waves se han unido para cruzar los límites sonoros, combinando sus diversos orígenes para elaborar canciones que desdibujan las líneas entre el indie, el punk y la música electrónica. El resultado es un sonido cavernoso, a veces minimalista, que convierte su homónimo debut en un más que interesante ejercicio de dream pop corrosivo.

El EP Arc Waves (Ghost Station Records, Sep.14) contiene cuatro temas, entre ellos el primer single de la banda, “Half Dome”, y ha sido coproducido por los propios creadores y Chris D. Butler en los estudios de este último, en Brooklyn.

Arc Waves editan bajo licencia copyright, si bien permiten la descarga digital de las canciones (al precio mínimo de un euro) a través de su bandcamp. Sin embargo, el trabajo por el que hemos descubierto este proyecto y que les convierte en indiscutible carne de cañón para nosotros, es su grabación en vivo desde el programa de la WFMU norteamericana “Dark Night of the Soul with Julie”, una referencia que contiene un total de 9 canciones y que está disponible en formato de libre descarga. - ULabel (Spain)

Il loro debutto è prenotato a fine mese, nel frattempo deliziatevi con il singolo Half Dome. Loro vengono da Brooklyn e si sente - El Rocco