INTERVIEW
INFINITE ARCADE ALI WELFORD TALKS TO THE SECRETIVE LOCAL MUSICIAN ABOUT WEAVING THEMES OF DREAD AND ANXIETY INTO HIS DOUBLE EP RELEASE
MUSIC
Many NARC. readers will already be acquainted with the artist behind Infinite Arcade – be it personally, through attending events or his series of past projects. For this latest venture, however, he’s adopted a cloak of anonymity – a clean break allowing fresh music to be judged and enjoyed entirely on its own terms. Having debuted this latest guise with twin singles back in February, this month sees Infinite Arcade launch in earnest with another dual release. “I’ve written solo electronic music for about 10 years, but never under a particular moniker, with a desire to release anything or play any gigs,” he reveals. “Eventually last year I gathered six or seven piano-led songs which I wanted to embellish, and also six or seven simpler songs which naturally married dread and pop in a way which felt really genuine to me. When I decided it was time to get some music out in the world again, I thought that releasing two EPs simultaneously would be a good way to reflect those contrasting origins. “Nineteen Ninety-Eight was essentially me fleshing out those piano ideas and experimenting,” he explains of the first release. “They’re very contemplative and melancholic, and I ended up feeling my way through them over the course of a few months as a kind of meditation.” Intimate, elegant and cinematic, this EP’s sound contrasts markedly with the similarly minimal yet far more taut vibes explored on its companion piece: “Everything about The Shield and Sparrow was very purposeful, and demonstrates a sound and direction that’s inherently where I want to take Infinite Arcade – a kind of dread-pop.” This second release has also proved integral in the development of Infinite Arcade’s visual identity – a facet that’s taken on a life of its own in light of the endeavour’s anonymous presentation. “I really wanted to almost use anxiety as an instrument in The
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THE UNDERLYING THEME CONSISTENT THROUGHOUT ALL THE ARTWORK AND THE SONGS HAS BEEN THAT THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE LURKING THAT YOU CAN’T QUITE SEE OR EXPERIENCE Shield and Sparrow, and I think my friend Rachel did an excellent job in capturing this in the video for the single, Sparrow. The sense of longing in I Will Make You Better was also given great service in the video she did for the track. All the artwork for the upcoming EPs – I have a few more in the pipeline – has been done by May Taylor. I really love how she uses bright, bold colours, but can still hide something sinister in them. The underlying theme consistent throughout all the artwork and the songs has been that there is something else lurking that you can’t quite see or experience.” As for those subsequent releases, an apparent penchant for pairs is something he has no plans of discontinuing. “I’ll be releasing two minimal pop tunes I finished last December that I’m really excited about,” he reveals. “They still have that sense of uneasiness that pervades every release, but there’s more hope than usual, and they’re pretty easy-going and bright. I also have a couple piano-led songs written at the same time as those on Nineteen Ninety-Eight which will be released as a pair – but in terms of what I’m working on now, I’m really embracing the blueprint created through The Shield and Sparrow.” Infinite Arcade’s Nineteen Ninety-Eight and The Shield and Sparrow EPs are released simultaneously on 25th June www.infinitearcade.bandcamp.com
