The Royal Arctic Institute - "Sodium Light"
New York City instrumental outfit The Royal Arctic Institute are back today with a new EP, Sodium Light, the follow up to their stellar 2018 debut full length, Accidental Achievement. Back then, we chatted with the band on the Look At My Records! podcast about their unassailable indie cred (drummer Lyle Hysen was in Das Damen and John Leon has played with Roky Erickson) and how they ultimately got together to form the band. Give it a listen here to learn a bit more about them!
As for the here and now, Sodium Light sees the band expanding from the core trio to incorporate a cast of other talented musicians, including Carl Baggaley on keys and Lynn Wright on lead guitar. Their contributions add some sonic girth to the RAI’s already flush sound, particularly on the jazzy sounding “Price of Wisconsin,” which really soars thanks to its sprightly synth riffs, and “We Begin On Familiar Ground,” a song that derives a ton of energy from its twin-guitar interplay. The collection also includes the previously released “13 Christmases At Sea,” which is about as unique as a holiday tune can possibly get, and appropriately, captures the feelings of loneliness that many experienced this holiday season through its icy instrumentation.
It seems like the songs on Sodium Light were slowly coming together by early 2020, but the pandemic opened the floodgates and the band’s creative juices really started flowing. In an attempt to turn a negative into a positive, they set their sights on hammering out the five songs on the EP once the world stopped turning. Of the process, the band says:
Making this record in the pandemic world was a real lifeline for all players involved. We hunkered down in our social distance-sized warehouse space in Hoboken and channeled all of our frustration and anger and sadness about the state of things into the tunes. On a practical level, we engaged in obsessive hand washing and a revolving array of face masks. But the spirit of the frustration, anger, and heartbreak of the pandemic is all in there. We used the process as a life raft for our own sanity in the midst of something more surreal than any of us could have ever imagined.
The band also shared a video for “Tomorrowland,” which appears on the EP. Stream it below!
To celebrate its release, the band is playing a socially distanced gig tonight outside of Hoboken’s Issyra Gallery. The festivities start at 7 pm! You can RSVP here.
Sodium Light is out now via Rhyme & Reason Records. You can purchase a copy on limited edition cassette via Bandcamp. It’s also available on all streaming platforms, including Spotify. Keep up with the band by following them on Instagram and liking them on Facebook.
