The Arcs

During the Black Keys’ mid-2010s break, Dan Auerbach began a solo effort that evolved into the Arcs, a psychedelic soul-blues ensemble built around keyboardist/guitarist Leon Michels and drummer/keyboardist Richard Swift. Once bassist Nick Movshon and drummer Homer Steinweiss joined, the group tracked and issued Yours, Dreamily on Nonesuch Records, then carried its concise, melodic material onto stages following the September 2015 street date. While touring, the band revealed plans for a follow-up; those plans stalled after Swift died unexpectedly in 2018. Several years afterward, Auerbach and Michels returned to the archived recordings and shaped them into Electrophonic Chronic as a tribute to their former colleague.

The Black Keys paused in 2015 when Patrick Carney injured his shoulder. Auerbach used the downtime to start a fresh venture, enlisting multi-instrumentalist Leon Michels—who had played on Auerbach’s productions for Dr. John and Lana Del Rey—along with Movshon, Steinweiss, Swift, and Kenny Vaughan. Announcing “I just wanted to do my thing and get extra weird,” Auerbach guided the sessions that first surfaced as a limited 7-inch single pressed for the May 2015 Floyd Mayweather–Manny Pacquiao bout. The A-side “Stay in My Corner” and its B-side “Tomato Can” reflected Auerbach’s interest in boxing; the former track also appeared on Yours, Dreamily, which was cut in a series of loose takes completed in under two weeks and released that September.

After the tour supporting that debut, the Arcs began work on a second album. The sessions continued intermittently until Swift’s 2018 death brought them to a halt. The tapes remained untouched for several years until Auerbach and Michels reconvened in 2022 to finish the material. Electrophonic Chronic finally emerged in January 2023.