The idea of gravity failing and emotion rising is a powerful metaphor—does this concept reflect anything about our present reality, or was it purely science-fiction escapism?

Our times are inherently reflected in our art, whether we like it or not. This album, like all my work, is greatly influenced politically, culturally, environmentally, and emotionally by my world. I’m intrigued by the power of invisible forces like love and gravity, and I find science fiction perfect for talking about the human condition. From famine to fascism, war to worship, some issues are more easily seen through the escapist lenses of the distant future.

The track “Fuzzy Planet” explores awakening through love via an alien prom scenario. How do you balance narrative surrealism with emotional sincerity in your songwriting?

Many of the songs on this album have multiple meanings and this was no exception. For the video, the “fuzzy feeling” was drug-induced, as well as love-induced. While I greatly enjoy writing lyrics, ultimately the mood, feeling, and musicality are the most important elements to me. Not everyone will glean the many references and meanings but if they feel a bit “fuzzy” after listening to the song, I’ve succeeded.

With João Nogueira joining the lineup, how has the dynamic between synths evolved compared to the first Arcadea record? Did the addition of a second synthesist influence the new direction toward dance and groove?

I was blessed to have João’s excellent synth contributions, playing on some of my favorite moments of the record. As far as “dance and groove,” those are embedded in all my musical endeavours. For Exodus, Brann and I were returning to our musical roots, going back decades to our progressive-funk band, Gaylord. We have always bonded over great art and great grooves, from Mozart to Stevie Wonder. At the same time, our more dance oriented approach lent itself to this story-organic life evolving with synthetic machines to create sentience.

Skinner’s artwork for the album is visually intense—how closely did the band work with him, and how important is visual storytelling to Arcadea’s world-building?

I love what Skinner did and we’ve all dug his art for a while! Skinner knew the story and we had some back and forth to make sure our vision was in the same universe. Being a multimedia artist myself, from album covers to animated videos, I’ve rarely relied on the artistic perspective of others… that said, I absolutely love the collaborations Arcadea has had and wouldn’t change a thing!

Core, with such a rich palette of vintage and modern instruments—like Taurus pedals, mellotron, Hammond, and theremin—what piece of gear was most essential in achieving the euphoric yet dystopian vibe of The Exodus of Gravity?

Picking an essential instrument for this record is like picking one key, note or chord, they all helped make the music. Outside recording in the studio, my 12 year old laptop was essential. It allowed me to record instruments, bits, and textures from various locations. For instance, I recorded theremin on a track under a night sky, on the shore of a pristine lake in the Adirondack mountains.

If Arcadea had to play a real prom on Planet Fuzzy with alien teens as the crowd, which one of you would end up as Prom King, and who would accidentally start an intergalactic food fight?

It’s funny, neither Brann nor I ever went to our proms. While I was kicked out of my high school a month before graduation, I highly doubt I would have participated in such pomp and ceremony back then. Making the “Fuzzy Planet” video finally gave us the opportunity to not only attend a prom, but a cool one at that, filled with great aliens, drugs, bubbles, and music!

Arcadea’s The Exodus of Gravity is available now on all streaming platforms.
Follow them into the stars—where gravity is gone, but the beat (and heart) goes on.