London-based duo New Arcades are renowned for their signature blend of 80s influences with contemporary synthwave textures. Their ability to bridge the gap between the past and the present has made them a compelling pair, who have worked with the likes of Droid Bishop, WOLFCLUB, Miami Nights 1984 and more.
With a background in rock music, their music carries influences from rock royalty like The Cure, M83, and Bring Me The Horizon, as well as synthwave artists like Illenium and Gunship. In 2023, they contributed the theme song for the documentary Robodoc: The Creation of Robocop, which further cemented their position and influence in the synthwave scene. Now, they’re working on their fourth album which is set to focus on a heavier, darker direction compared to previous releases.
In the interview, we chat to New Arcades about what drew them to synthwave, their love for arcade games and more!
Describe a pivotal music moment for you in your favourite film, television show, brand partnership etc. Has this influenced any of your own compositions?
We’re constantly being inspired by any films or TV show we’re watching. A few that spring to mind was ‘Gone’ by M83 was used in Mr Robot. Just the visuals combined with the storytelling and music was really special. Blade Runner, both the original and sequel, have soundtrack/score that is truly inspiring for us (along with the themes and visuals).
I think initially, when seeing Drive for the first time was quite a pivotal moment for us (the visuals alongside the incredible soundtrack). We were already making music and incorporating synths and electronic elements but this was the start of us going all in with it. That alongside the 80’s feel it had really struck a chord with us. When ‘A Real Hero’ first played during the film it blew us away.
What first drew you to making Synthwave/Synthpop?
The fact that it is very much inspired by the nostalgic sounds and movies of the 1980’s and there’s so much you can do and experiment with. It’s fun and super interesting to take that and bring it into the modern day with new production techniques and give it a fresh spin. It’s great to find new synths, plugins and instruments which enable you to create something really unique whilst still having that retrowave soul which gives this type of music its character. Also the nostalgic and visual side of it really creates an immersive feel. The live shows really help capture what the genre is all about.
What does your current software/hardware setup currently consist of?
As far as a DAW, we both use Presonus Studio One to record, mix and master. We mainly use a variety of VST plugins and virtual instruments (Omnisphere, Nexus, Diva, TAL-U-NO, Serum, UAD etc). We often create custom presets that we use in our songs. We use various midi controllers which work alongside these VSTS within the the DAW to write and record. We experiment with a few different mics when we track vocals too., Hardware, for live shows we use the Roland JU-06A synth as well as an SPD-SX drum sampler alongside guitars and bass to add even more layering and depth. We’ll probably do a ‘rig rundown’ at some point which will show our workflow as well as all of the software we use.
Who are your biggest influences, both inside and outside of the genre?
We have quite a varied taste in music, from chilled ambient music to genres like metal and post-hardcore. Our background is in rock music so we take some of that history and sometimes integrate it with the music we play in New Arcades to name a few – The Cure, M83, Chvrches, Bring Me The Horizon, Illenium, The Chaingang of 1974, Tears For Fears, Pale Waves, Architects, Taking Back Sunday, Kavinsky. Within the genre, there’s a lot of talented folks which we love and some we’ve even got to collaborate with (Miami Nights 1984, Droid Bishop, WOLFCLUB to name a few). There’s so many we could mention but we really enjoyed the last album Gunship put out, The Midnight, Essenger is doing some cool stuff, F.O.O.L, Electric Youth’s first album and also Mitch Murder was on heavy rotation when we first started the band!
Outside of music, what art forms or experiences inspire you the most? Are you pulling from sci-fi films, old video games, cityscapes at night?
Films are a huge inspiration. A lot of 80’s films and their soundtracks – whether that be the cinematic and atmospheric score from Blade Runner or any number of John Hughes movies and the 80’s tracks that are used. They’ve all had a big impact on New Arcades and the sound we’re going for and the ‘feel’ we’re trying to convey. Sometimes it can just be an opening scene which has a really awesome and over the top 80’s or early 90’s feel. The start of Days of Thunder springs to mind too, with the hazy sunsets and skylines haha.
We recently provided the opening theme tune and closing credits for the Robocop documentary Robodoc: The Creation of Robocop. This was so fun and as we love the film it was an honour to be able to do it. The soundtrack has heaps of other great synth acts on it too. Retro games were also pretty integral (still big fans of going to the arcades -hence the name!). Cityscapes, palm trees and certain colour schemes all play a factor into what goes into our aesthetic and the style of art we have.
When you sit down to create, what’s the first thing that sparks the process? A melody? A feeling? A memory?
It varies from song to song, but sometimes it can just start with a few simple notes or chords and the right type of sound, then it just grows from there. Occasionally there will be a specific idea or concept that we have in mind and then we try to write to that. So for our new album, as we’re going down a darker route we’ll choose sounds and write in a style that fits that concept. Then really push the limits to make it different and hopefully surprise people!
Do you have any personal rituals or habits when writing or producing, things that get you in the right headspace? (e.g., late-night drives, dim lighting, a specific synth always within reach)
I think the lighting and overall environment really helps set the right mood. We both have spaces where we record and mix which have neon lights and a darker ambience which really fits the style of music we’re writing. You’ll probably find some photos across our social media showing this too. Gives a bit of an insight into what it’s like when we’re recording.
Please suggest an album for us to listen to.
Definitely check out our newest track ‘Back to Life’ which is a collaboration with the very talented Miami Nights 1984 who is a legend in the synthwave scene. Album-wise – maybe Leave something Behind, this is our latest and has quite a varied sound across the album.
If you have the time, then please do check out all of our back catalogue! We’d sure appreciate it haha. I guess we could also give a few selects or recommendations of some tracks to get you started which showcases some different vibes – ‘Into The Unknown’, ‘Free Fall’, ‘Inhale’, ‘Severed’ (with Droid Bishop), ‘You Were My Ghost’.
Stream ‘Back to Life’ below:
Looking ahead, what’s next? A new album? A shift in sound? Something totally unexpected?
We’re currently in the midst of recording our new album. It’s definitely a shift towards a darker and somewhat heavier sound. We’ve already put out a couple of songs in the same vein but the album as a whole will be leaning towards this kind of sound. We’ve written a lot of material so we’re thinking we’ll do it in two parts. We’re looking forward to the release as we’ve worked with quite a few different artists and can’t wait to get the physical records out (vinyl,mini-disc, CD, Cassette etc) as we have quite a cool concept for it. Once we have this released then we’ll hopefully look at a small tour in support of it.
If you could collaborate with anyone, from any era or genre, who would it be and what would that track sound like?
So many to choose from! It’s tough to pick just one. Off the top of our heads – M83, Bleachers, Gunship, The Chaingang of 1974, Electric Youth, Tangerine Dream, Bring Me The Horizon, Bad Omens, Illenium. As far as what it would sound like , it would depend on which one but for the metal acts then we think it’d be a nice juxtaposition to have our deep synth sounds alongside some heavier guitars and drums. We actually remixed a heavy rock track ‘Top of the World’ by Greek Fire which kind of gives an idea of what a potential collaboration would sound like.
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