The Arcadian Wild at Duling Hall on November 7

meet The Arcadian Wild

Welcome. It’s a word The Arcadian Wild hold dear, an invitation to be present, to let your guard down, to share in something deep and divine and communal.

“No matter who you are or where you come from, that word just makes you breathe a little easier,” says guitarist/singer Isaac Horn. “When you feel welcome somewhere, you can be yourself, you can be open to whatever the space and the moment have to offer. That’s how we want people to experience these songs.”

Written and recorded in The Arcadian Wild’s hometown of Nashville, TN, Welcome marks the start of a captivating new chapter for the genre-bending trio, whose innovative use of vocal harmony and counterpoint has helped redefine the possibilities of modern string band music. Fresh off a series of critically acclaimed singles and EPs, the album is both delicately beautiful and boldly adventurous, drawing on everything from country and classical to pop and choral music with lush, cinematic arrangements that balance the intellectual and the emotional in equal measure. 

“Harmony has been at the center of our musical experience and expression from the very beginning,” says mandolinist/singer Lincoln Mick. “Often, when we’re unsure of what to do next, we’ll say, ‘Let’s just all sing together.’ We’ve changed a lot as a band over the years, but harmony has always been the backbone of what we do, which has led us to create all thesebackground vocals that not only support the lead, but have a life and character of their own.”

Though the group tours and records without a drummer, the songs here are deeply rooted in rhythmic propulsion, with tracks driven by intricately interlocking instrumental and vocal parts that cohere into a deceptively effortless whole. 

“When we’re working on arrangements, we actually try to treat our band like a drum set,” explains Horn. “Who’s the kick? Who’s the snare? Who’s the crash? Everyone has a specific role that comes together intentionally to form something that should ultimately feel very natural and conversational.”

Lyrically, the album functions in much the same way.There’s a rawness to the writing on Welcome that belies its careful craftsmanship, a deliberate embrace of candor and simplicity that cuts straight to the heart of things like never before. The result is perhaps the most arresting collection yet from a band known for its ability to stop listeners dead in their tracks, an exquisite celebration of community, connection, and the power of belonging that feels tailor-made for these challenging times.

“For me, the purpose of writing songs has always been to forge those connections,” Mick reflects. “Any time we take the stage, there’s a room full of people who all converged on that show from different backgrounds and with different stories, and we want to make sure they all know they have a place there with us.”

That sense of hospitality has been central to The Arcadian Wild’s story from its earliest days. Named for a utopian landscape in Greek mythology, the group got its start roughly a decade ago, when Horn and Mick met as choir students at Nashville’s Lipscomb University. While both had grown up on alt-rock and punk, they quickly bonded over a shared love for American roots music and the endless possibilities that lay beyond the boundaries of tradition and expectation. The band cut their teeth playing house shows, where they learned to treat their audience like family, and released their self-titled debut to widespread praise in 2015, racking up nearly 50 million streams on Spotify alone. 

For all its hope and optimism, Welcome wrestles with its fair share of struggle and doubt, too. The punchy “Dopamine” confronts the insidious ways that smartphones and social media have hijacked our brains, while the aching “Sparrow” contemplates how good intentions can lead to disastrous outcomes, and the urgent “Fable Of The Times” reckons with a world in which everyone has isolated themselves in their own realities. Mick and Horn refuse to throw their hands up in defeat, though, even in the darkest of moments, insisting that the antidote is and always has been the simple power of human connection.

It’s a notion the band likes to remind their audience of every night when they take the stage, step up to the microphone, and say that magical word: Welcome.

Doors – 6:30pm | Show – 7:30pm

Listen to them on Spotify to get a sneak peek of what you’ll be seeing on November 7th live at Duling Hall!

Our friends at Saltine Restaurant serve a food menu from doors to showtime and provide a full bar with signature cocktails throughout the entire event.

Duling Hall is an Independent Venue that welcomes all music lovers.