The darkest chapter to date for Melbourne’s Banks Arcade arrives in full tomorrow in the form of the multifaceted chaos lying in wait on the brand new EP DEATH 2, officially out now via UNFD. Get it here.
Today, the band has released the music video for new single, “Roulette,” bringing riotous bounce and dark temptation to the surface.
“Roulette explores the allure of a life chasing thrills,” the band shares. “It’s a conversation with the devil on your shoulder asking you to risk it all for the next rush.”
Devouring and detailing death and disarray alongside vivid metaphors surrounding change, DEATH 2 weaves elements of hip hop, hard rock, industrial, metal and more alongside volatile soundscapes and shattering intimacy. For a band already well-versed in pushing genre boundaries in the heavier realms, Banks Arcade transcend into a whole new era via DEATH 2; and it’s an era to watch closely as they gaze into a massive year ahead.
Recently flexing their nuanced creative muscles, with the glossy darkness of “Change” and hip-hop-soaked heaviness with “Worship The Internet,” DEATH 2 doesn’t simply build on the previously-established Banks Arcade trademark sound; rather, it catapults the band’s heady blend of hard rock, electronic and metal into an entirely new sonic stratosphere, with six tracks lying in wait to dazzle.
“DEATH 2 expresses the darkest side of Banks Arcade,” the band states about the EP. “It’s the heaviest this band will ever venture and it explores the most chaotic elements from the different genres we enjoy. With each song exploring death and disorder in a different way, it paints a visceral picture that is symbolic of change and the shedding of the bands previous self.”
Banks Arcade bring passion and potent execution to their myriad of influences and creative ideas. Formed over a shared love of music with a razor-sharp avant-garde aesthetic, Banks Arcade have had their gaze ever-fixed just beyond the horizon via their flourishing sonic wiles. From their 2018 debut EP Endnote to its 2020 follow up Fever Dreams, the group’s head-turning singles like “Sick” and “Drown” have gone on to amass over a million individal streams, while their explosive single “Chosen”was chosen by Ubisoft as the official theme song of the Rainbow Six Siege Oceanic Nationals in 2022.
Releasing their full-length Future Lovers in 2022, an LP initially devised as a concept album that evolved into a vessel of personal self-discovery, Banks Arcade cemented their future-facing trademark style while also turning heads courtesy of their emphatic soundscapes, searing metal and hip-hop additions.
