Album Review: The Arcs - Yours Dreamily

After nearly 15 years of solid garage blues rock with The Black Keys, singer and guitarist Dan Auerbach has stepped into fronting a new outfit he's dubbed The Arcs.

Yours, Dreamily originally began as the singer's second solo album, but grew into a proper collaborative band effort with a number of his musical friends joining in on the record, including indie rock production royalty Richard Swift. This collaborative approach is clear in the result, with every song undoubtedly having Auerbach's trademark mix of classic blues rock and fuzz as showcased over eight Black Keys records, yet weird flourishes not seen in his discography are peppered liberally throughout the album.

While the majority of Yours, Dreamily is made up of the same style of mid-tempo psych-coloured blues rock as lead single Stay In My Corner, there's enough variation in the production and soundscape to keep the straightforward compositions from feeling too dreary. The biggest surprise on the album comes from the guest appearance of female mariachi band Mariachi Flor de Toloache, sharing lead vocals on the charming Chains Of Love.

After seeing The Black Keys drift into relatively straightforward alt-rock territory with their recent success, it's reassuring to see Auerbach loosen up and have a little fun here. There's ultimately nothing revelatory or groundbreaking about The Arcs' debut album, but it does serve as a gentle reminder of Auerbach's songwriting chops outside of a strict minimal guitar and drum format.