Arlie

Arlie emerged from humble origins as a Nashville indie pop act, evolving swiftly from Nathaniel Banks’s solitary bedroom pop endeavor into a full-band regional favorite before securing a major-label agreement. Their 2018 debut EP, Wait, blended timeless retro-pop melodies with crisp, forward-looking production values. Subsequent releases such as the singles “karma” and “crashing down” heightened expectations for the band’s first full-length effort, Break the Curse, which surfaced in 2022.

The project originated as the one-man undertaking of singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Nathaniel Banks, who tracked early material inside his dorm room at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Seeking live outlets for the songs, Banks enlisted fellow Vanderbilt attendee Carson Lystad on guitar, Belmont University acquaintance Adam Lochemes on drums, and Nashville multi-instrumentalist Tyler Waters. By that point Arlie had already built recognition across campus and within the city’s D.I.Y. community when the infectious debut single “big fat mouth” ascended the Hype Machine charts and amassed substantial streams during 2017. Follow-up track “didya think” achieved comparable streaming traction, prompting Atlantic Records to offer the group a recording contract.

Following an intensive summer of dates supporting Rostam plus a Bonnaroo festival slot, Atlantic released the band’s inaugural EP, Wait, in September 2018. Across the ensuing four years further singles including “karma,” “crashing down,” and “sickk” paved the way for Arlie’s debut album. Issued in 2022 and highlighting those tracks, the self-produced Break the Curse extended both the sonic approach and commercial momentum established by the preceding EP.