Spawned from the vibrant music scene of Dundalk, Arco Arena are a band of dualities. Centred around dual vocalists, Eoghan Maguire and Charlie Abbott, the band blend heavy rock, riff-centric influences like As So I Watch You From Afar, LaFaro and Rage Against the Machine with the hip shaking danceability of Foals, Daft Punk, Chic and Fatboy Slim. Their special alchemy comes in the relationship between the players, how they filter their influences through their respective lenses and in the process producing a sound as only Arco Arena can. Formed in 2015 the band have spent the last decade regularly releasing music including 2026 singles ‘Where the Maps Don’t Go’ and ‘Find Your Friends’. Their prolific release schedule has earned them accolades from RTE2XM as part of their 2021 ‘Lockdown Livestream’, Hot Press as finalists in their ‘A New Local Hero’ Irish talent search and festival appearances at Aurfest, Bold Frontiers and Navan Pride Festival. Now, the band are ready to release their debut album ‘Ties’, a joyous post funk-dance-rock record about hope, community, relationships, and the ties that bind us all together.
Joining Eoghan Maguire (bass/vocals) and Charlie Abbot(guitars/vocals), are Pauric McCrum (drums/vocals) and Peter McCoy(guitar/vocals). Taking their name from an instrumental track by Cake, the band formed as Eoghan and Charlie’s previous project dissolved while recording with Peter. In a moment of perfect serendipity Peter was asked to join the band and suggested Pauric for drums. Over the last decade the band have solidified their sound into the signature sonics we hear on the new album ‘Ties’.
The album opens with ‘As We Live and Breathe’ and serves as the perfect introduction not only to the album but to the band. The rhythm of the distant drums already sets the scene before the full power of Pauric’s kit is unleashed. Crunchy guitars are offset by a Chic-esque funk guitar, serving up both sides of the band’s personality. The chorus makes full use of this as guitars and vocals play call and response to each other. As we hit the mid-point of the track half-math rock/half-disco guitars spiral around each other while drums pull you to the dance floor. Lyrically the track addresses the cyclical nature of human existence, as empires rise and fall and we look back not fully cognisant of the intents or impacts of what came before.
‘Find Your Friends’ is the second single taken from the album, released in June 2026. The track is unhurried as it takes the space and time to build. An inconspicuous guitar is the entry point to the song, as guitar and bass join filling out the sonic space, drums give the music context and in doing so provide the pulse of the track. As Eoghan intones ‘It ain’t what it used to be’, the track fully opens up, and feels like a track that begs to be sang back by rooms full of people as they move to undeniable groove.
Carrying on the Arco Arena groove, the first single off the record ‘Where Maps Don’t Go’ leans fully into bands more funk-based influences. Lyrically the track delves into the overall theme of the record as it explores finding your tribe in unexpected places and through that, acceptance and the deeper sense of community. The rhythmic changes in the track will have heads nodding and hips shaking, leaving space for the vocals lead the charge as they feel like an open handed invitation to follow them.
Switching personalities ‘Trendsetter’ should come with a whiplash warning as the band dime out the distortion on the guitars and sets amps to 11. Even as the speakers get pushed to their absolute limit there is still the unmistakeable Arco-groove to the track. The simple rhythmic riff snakes its way through the verses before the choruses hit with a wall of distortion. Almost like Turnstile and QOTSA met in a steamy New York back alley to brawl. An incendiary lead line signals the end of the track but leaves us wanting more.
The halfway point on the album ‘Ambulance’ is a more restrained, darker track but in doing so opens new melodic territory for the band. Pauric’s drums telegraph the change in parts, Eoghan’s bass moves between locking in with Pauric’s kick drum, hammering home the rhythm and acting as a melodic counterpart to the vocals. Charlie and Peter’s dual guitars weave melodies in and around each other as they subtly build towards the crescendo of the middle of the track when a flurry of notes is released and the band are firing on all cylinders. A highlight of the album.
Track six ‘Methuselah’ continues the darker feel, this time leaning back into the band’s heavier influences. Built around a simple guitar riff that in the space of a note and a bend cultivates a sense of disquiet and tension. It’s not long before the dam breaks and a flood of guitars hits the listener. Synth like guitars punctuate the bridge and second verse that help pull the track into new sonic territory. While a head-bobbing half time section towards the ends gives way to dual harmonic guitars.
Track seven on an album traditionally offers something left-field and this is no exception. Thematically ‘Thirsty Eye’ acts a sister song to ‘Trendsetter’, as lyrically it explores the feeling of never being satisfied with what’s around you and always casting around for the next. Musically the band say it was inspired by Nirvana and the Kinks, but always put through the Arco Arena filter. Crunchy guitars, driving drums, syncopated vocals and a gnarly bass are all present before a short respite in the middle allowing some signature melodic guitars to have their moment.
Written in the practice space with all members bringing their respective hammers to the anvil. The band say ‘Capri Son’ was the first funk track written for the album and set the marker for those songs on the album. This track captures all the quintessential Arco Arena elements in one song, a strong groove, funk guitars, a stadium sized rock chorus, commanding vocals and ear worm melodies, all coalescing into one crystalline delivery.
Penultimate track ‘Skinnerbox’ is built around tension and release, from the tom groove that propels the start of the track as it explodes into a snaking guitar riff, equal parts tweaker edge and danceable. The band pull back again for the second verse building the tension again as we climb the hill to the middle when all resolves into a staccato stabs and a starry melodies. The final movement of the track feels like accelerating a full speed towards the edge of a cliff just for kicks.
Title track ‘Ties’ is the longest track on the album, giving the band time to explore each idea fully. The band say, “This track quickly became the thematic lynchpin of the record, the themes explored are something we all felt was relevant in this day and age of divided communities and fractured global social infighting. It also deals with the fear of stagnation and of not moving on, not doing enough to fulfil your potential and always seeing the same old faces with the same old story.” As Charlie sings ‘These ties that bind you will guide you home’ and the final movement of the song kicks in, there’s a rush of adrenaline and energy, accompanied by a sweeping euphoria. The final climb of the mountain before guitars that feel like they could continue into infinity set us gently back down to earth.
When it came time to record the album the band were able to look internally first, drawing on members experience as audio engineers. Drums were recorded in the legendary Black Mountain Studios, set high up in the Cooley Mountains looking over the Irish Sea, the vastness of the location somehow seeping into the record. With the rest completed in home studios, giving the band the opportunity to dial in tones and sounds without the omnipresent clocking ticking on.
The artwork was completed by Peter’s sister, Carrie. The band say “The imagery of the clasped hands indicates the most basic form of connection and humanity, that being the sense of touch and thanks between two people.”
‘Ties’ is the sound of a band confident in their own sound as they cover a vast scope of sonic territory across the run time of the ten songs. There is a duality at the heart of the band, as intricate guitar melodies weave around each other or pummel you with a thick wall of distortion , drums either pull you to the dance floor or provide the BPM for your next whiplash, bass shakes the foundations of buildings or accentuates danceable rhythms while vocals command or soar. The heady concoction of funk and rock is nothing new but there’s no plagiarism here as Arco Arena have forged their own sound, their own identity and in doing so recognise that it’s the relationships between people, the players in the band, that create the special moments that give things meaning and we cherish. ‘Ties’ is emotionally dense without feeling overwrought or maudlin, it gives you a good time but scratch the surface just a little and there’s much more to dive into.