Roll of the Dice: 8 questions with Arcadia Grey

Chicago’s Arcadia Grey has been picking up steam in the pop-punk and emo scenes since the May release of Casually Crashing on Smartpunk Records. Following up on that success, the Second City standouts have pull back the curtains and joined TGEFM for our latest Roll Of The Dice interview series. Take a peek to see what Nat Breeden had to say about the band’s sound, their sound, their influences and their future.

Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. Congrats on the new record Casually Crashing.  What can you tell us about Arcadia Grey and your sound and your goals for readers just discovering the band?

Thank you! So happy that we were finally able to put it out. Arcadia Grey is a band that writes sad songs you can BOP too. We make loud angry, jokey, twinkly emo music. In the vein of PUP, Modern Baseball, Prince Daddy and the Hyena. We started this project as a form of self expression for ourselves. Letting out all our insecurities, fears, emotions into head banging jangly guitar music. Our hope with the project was to create a safe space for like minded people struggling with their mental health, gender identity, relationships to feel like they are not alone. That they have a place in this world even when things are the worst they’ve been. That we are all going through this together and everything will be alright.

What album or band or significant singles made you go “Yeah, this is what I want to do”  Not just an influence but who or what was the catalyst?

Honestly for me i think Blink 182 and Weezer were the “i want to start a band” bands. Specifically Enema of the State and Pinkerton. Those albums found me at such a fundamental point in my life. I remember dancing in the streets of Tokyo, my headphones at FULL volume blasting tired of sex and air drumming as I walked back home. And then when I moved back to the US, I started learning guitar, bands like Modern Baseball and The Front Bottoms were my gateway into the emo scene and really influenced the sound and direction I wanted to take AG into.

What was going on at the time writing and recording process that helped kickstart the songwriting process? 

Casually Crashing was written out of exhaustion. We were in that weird cresting moment from being college students to full-blown adults contributing to society. I personally was really struggling with the expectations of graduating college. That weight as I neared closer. Wanting to go full force into the band, but having to focus on what other people wanted for me. We also as a band really struggle with sexual and gender identities. We tried to put that frustration into our songs. Expressing the difficulties of coming out, the challenges of navigating family relationships who don’t really care for your true self. This feeling of insanity having to come out over and over. We were just going through it as people say

We’ve all got a few, what is your biggest regret? A gig you turned down, advice you didn’t take, what one thing do you wish you handled differently as a musician?

Personally it was pushing the band too hard when we needed a break. I think I have this burning ambition in me that is always striving to keep creating, keep taking opportunities, and always seeking to be better as a creative. But sometimes we need to take breaks, allow ourselves to rejuvenate. Since we started it’s been GO GO GO. And I think that mentality definitely works, but not for all of us. When we were working on casually crashing I kept setting unreasonable deadlines, pushing to get the record done. But that ended up backfiring and setting us back a ton. I wish I had listened and just taken our time. I think things would have turned out a lot differently. 

What have been some of the most memorable moments or experiences With the band so far? What’s been the most unexpected? The weirdest?

The Glassbeach tour might be the most memorable experience. When we got the email asking to directly support them on their full US tour, I nearly passed out. We had been working so hard to get an opportunity like that, and it was unreal. That tour was a dream come true. Getting to tour the whole country and playing these massive venues, it was unbelievable. So many amazing shows, so many fun moments with the band. 
I think the most unexpected is probably this whole experience as a band. When we started this band we were doing it for ourselves. Playing tiny shows to our friends in our parents garage. Never in a million years did I think wed get to tour the country, write and release a few albums, and continue to grow and create as a band of best friends. I’m just so proud of how far we’ve come. 
The weirdest experience might be that every couple of months this comedy show in Chicago asks us to be the live band for their show. We play in a small jazz club that was totally not built for our loud punk music. To an audience of older people who are definitely not expecting us to be there or care. No one knows who we are, they give us free drinks, and we get to watch some silly comedy. We get to pretend to be a small lil local band that plays shows every once in a while. It’s so weird, but we love it. 

One of our obligatory questions in these interviews also tends to be the one I have found most important on a personal level. Who are some bands on your radar that TGEFM readers may not know about, but you think they should?

I definitely think people should be listening to Combat. This band reminds me so much of us when we started out. They have that drive and they have that SOUND. Pure rock and roll, pure fun. They get it. Such talented individuals. Red Sun is another band that just HAS IT. Definitely be on the watch for these too. Big things are coming from them, I promise. 

Now that the world has its hands on the record,  what’s next for Arcadia Grey?

Honestly I think it’s a much deserved rest. We are going on tour down to The Fest in Gainesville, Florida in October. Hitting a ton of new and old cities on the way there. And then I think we are gonna take a small break from shows and focus on writing the next record. It took 5 years to make casually crashing, so fingers crossed it takes wayyyyyy less time.

What do you wish I asked about or that you had more of an opportunity to speak about during this interview?

I think you hit all of them. I’m pretty stoked with what you asked. All I have to say is stream Casually Crashing wherever you listen to music. Follow us on tik tok, instagram, twitter. And support your local scene and Trans rights matter! If you are struggling or having any self doubt in your identity, just know you are not alone. You matter. You always will. 

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Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.