Dan Auerbach Readies The Arcs "Solo" Album with Leon Michels, Richard Swift, Homer Steinweiss, Nick Movshon & Kenny Vaughan "in His Corner" (Nonesuch Records)

"I've spent enough time thinking about [making songs for radio] with The Black Keys, not that we ever wrote songs just for radio. I just don't want to ever think about that stuff again. With The Arcs, we were just trying to make music that loves up to the kinds of standards that we love: old soul records, Captain Beefheart, newer Hip-Hop records. The songs are really experimental, but not over your head," Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach recently told Rolling Stone. Auerbach unleashed The Arcs' debut boxing-inspired single, "Stay In My Corner," back on May 2nd to coincide with Mayweather & Pacquiao's monumental prize fight; in addition to all-female Brooklyn mariachi band Mariachi Flor de Toloache, The Arcs additionally showcases the musical talents of long-time studio buddies Leon Michels, Richard Swift, Homer Steinweiss, Nick Movshon, and Kenny Vaughan. Initially billed as a Dan Auerbach "solo" album, the newly-assembled band reportedly wrote and recorded some whopping 75 tracks in just over two weeks between Los Angeles, Nashville, Manhattan, and Queens-based studios, which were eventually whittled down to Yours, Dreamily's 14 genre-blending tracks.


Despite the fact that a "Stay In My Corner" 45 b/w "Tomato Can" has been circulating throughout independent record stores nation-wide for the past month, NPR has just now gotten the opportunity to premier the slow-burning A-side single online Tuesday afternoon. NPR's Stephen Thompson fittingly described "Stay In My Corner" as something along the lines of "a slinky, timeless feel, propelled with alluring ease by Auerbach's falsetto and a lush instrumental backdrop befitting The Arcs' roster." Thompson then goes on to note that bandmate Leon Michels has previously performed with Wu-Tang Clan-covering Soul-Funk outfit El Michels Affair and co-founded Truth & Soul Records, while bassist Richard Swift has performed as a utility player for The Shins, as well as producing records for Damien Jurado and The Mynabirds and has "released a half dozen albums of his own." Ahead of Yours, Dreamily's highly-anticipated Friday, September 4th world-wide release, Nonesuch Records have unveiled a multitude of assorted album pre-order packages including first-come-first-serve signed vinyl, limited edition T-shirts, 1-inch Arcs button packs, a "Stay In My Corner" 45, an "Outta My Mind" 45, and either CD, LP, or mp3 copies of Yours, Dreamily.