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SINGLE Sick // ARTIST Banks Arcade
Off the back of a move from Auckland to Melbourne, metalcore quintet Banks Arcade unveil an anti-negativity anthem with their latest tune Sick in the lead-up to a brand new EP.
Chalking up some slightly brighter sonic waters for the Auckland locals, Sick comes ahead of Banks Arcade's upcoming EP Fever Dreams due out this May - and also amid the group's permanent voyage from New Zealand to Australia. No strangers on the live scene (at a time when it was still thriving), the Banks Arcade lads have carved up recent supports with Stray From The Path, Counterparts and Silverstein - but it's their latest tune that announces the group's newfound identity in their new homeland as they gear up to follow up their 2018 outing Endnote.
Brandishing a title seemingly related to the current calamity facing the world, Sick instead centres itself around churning riffs, sprawling vocals and electronic undertones that affably flow in an even-keeled outing. And while there's an upped abundance of cleaner vocals throughout Sick compared to some of the group's previous material, the emotive tones hit home as the group delve beyond the obvious physical connotations of sickness into the toxicity of negativity:
"People love to talk behind closed doors and a conversation overheard from outside a closed door, is where the inspiration for this song came. They feel safe to talk behind their keyboards and spew hatred when others aren’t looking, but buckle at the site of actual confrontation. This song is about one person in particular who embodied this type of behaviour but it sheds light on the wider feelings and paranoia associated with being around these kind of actions. In these situations it’s easy to feel isolated and like you can’t do anything right and it’s important to not let it get your head. Don’t let negativity get in your head. Forget the bullshit and just do you." - Joshua O'Donnell, vocals
With their latest tune signalling hard at the next chapter for Banks Arcade after the group faced mountains to track Sick in four locations across two countries, no doubt we're going to see many more shades of the Banks Arcade canvas unfold as the group edge closer to their EP release in May. But in the meantime, you can go check out Sick below, with Banks Arcade also doling out an accompanying music video for your viewing pleasure:
BANKS ARCADE ARE SET TO RELEASE THEIR NEW EP FEVER DREAMS THIS MAY, FOR MORE INFO HEAD HERE.
BY TIANA SPETER