South Arcade, the UK-based rock band with a sound that slants toward turn-of-the-century alternative, has signed a label deal with Atlantic Records, in partnership with BKM Artists and LAB Records. The quartet also released its debut single with the label, “Fear of Heights,” on Friday (July 11).
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“From the very first chorus I heard from South Arcade, I was completely hooked!” says Johnny Minardi, Atlantic Music Group SVP of A&R. “As I dug deeper into their songs and world, it felt like stepping into a modern take on a nostalgic era. I’m incredibly excited for what’s ahead as South Arcade teams up with Atlantic to take on the world.”
South Arcade was created when singer Harmony Cavelle and guitarist Harry Winks, who were university friends, started making demos together before recruiting bassist Ollie Green and drummer Cody Jones. Their Spotify bio simply reads “Y2KCORE,” and indeed, the singles they’ve released beginning in 2022 mash up the pop brashness of Avril Lavigne with the crunchy guitar riffs of Limp Bizkit.
“Fear of Heights” is the cleanest distillation of the band’s sound to date, with a pop-punk energy and huge chorus that have made an early-‘00s Warped Tour crowd explode. The single will herald South Arcade’s in-the-works Atlantic Records debut album.
“When meeting with Johnny, Elliot [Grainge, Atlantic Music Group CEO], Zach [Friedman, Atlantic Music Group COO], Tony [Talamo, Atlantic Music Group GM], and the Atlantic team, it was like, FINALLY someone gets it!” says Cavelle of the label deal. “It was really like clicking with someone on the same wavelength. They actually understood what we were trying to convey and felt like we were all on the same page. Atlantic has such a legacy – we are so excited to be a part of that and see what we can all come up with as a joint force. We honestly couldn’t be more stoked.”
After performing at Reading & Leeds in late August, South Arcade will tour the U.S. beginning on Oct. 7, playing 25 dates with pop-punk group Magnolia Park. They’ll also perform at Austin City Limits on Oct. 11, two days before their first headlining show in New York City.
