THE SCARLET GOODBYE EPK

1. To Feel The Sun

A blistering spirited track propelled by the bombastic piano work of Patrick Frederick and a bangin’ drum track provided by Ben Peterson. The music for this was written by Jeff Arundel; it had a working title, “Youngblood,”-- because it sounded like a Jesse Colin Young track until the lads got their hands on it... The only overdubs on this song are cowbell, acoustic guitar, organ, and vocals, as sung by Jeff and Dan.

 

2. The Last Time

An atmospheric and melodic hook-filled rock track in the key of E, mostly written by Jeff Arundel with a riveting drum track played by Steve Gorman (formerly of The Black Crowes), and it might have been 95 degrees in the studio the night we cut it. Jeff Victor was with us as we tracked this and provided the Wurlitzer piano track, which serves as the glue for this recording in many ways.  

 

3. Speedway

A mid-tempo sing-along that was written after a sprint car race at the Cedar Lake Speedway in Wisconsin, presented by The World Of Outlaws, right before July 4th in 2023, when the Canadian Prairie fires were burning - giving the event an almost apocalyptic feel. I heard a winning driver say that the... "track felt racy that night”… I also noticed there were no I.P.A.s for sale at the concession stand. It is all revealed in the song, I suppose. I really tried to conjure up a small town County Seat - Rural Americana view, and the speedway was a place where it came together in the end. 

 

4. Raylene

Written after attending a recent funeral at the Red Eye Theater of a long-time friend of Dan’s - an early music fan of the pre-Soul Asylum incarnation of Loud Fast Rules. I thought about how hard it was for family members and friends to deliver a eulogy at such a somber and sad affair. My friend Tom, who the funeral was for, had written in his senior class yearbook under his school photo, “We live to live - we live to die, We live to laugh, we live to cry.” The track is lifted by the incredible chorale singing by members of The See Change Treble Choir - they brought so much lilt and blissful meditation to this track, and we are humbled and eternally grateful.

 

5. Temptation Eyes

A cover by The Grass Roots that is sung by Jeff Arundel with harmony vocals by Pat Nelson, Jeff Victor, and Daniel Murphy. Pat Frederick plays the electric ukulele, and Daniel Murphy provides the fuzz-drenched guitar solo. There’s something about these old radio songs that never totally creeps out of your brain, triggering memories, and for Dan and Jeff, this is one of those.

 

6. Sad Burlesque

A song written from the perspective of a newly hospitalized unsuccessful suicide patient. The heavily medicated narrator finds himself in love - but a love that is unrequited. Henceforth he finds himself …falling out of a rainbow that probably wasn’t even there.

 

7. On A Match

A haunting instrumental track written by Daniel Murphy last year in South Dakota over Thanksgiving. The track consists of a trio of players: Jeff Arundel on the gut string acoustic, Jeff Victor on piano and additional keyboards, and Daniel Murphy on electric guitar. Celtic, with the wind-swept South Dakota prairies in the distance.
 

8. Great Again

A nostalgic look back at the early, jubilant, unencumbered days of playing in a young and up-and-coming scrappy little rock band that’s out on the road. Presented with a share of melancholy as sometimes the years can bring profound divisions within the ranks as the shared experiences that are filtered through different eyes and multiple lenses.

 

9. El Camino Adiós

Maybe there is a way that saying goodbye to a Girl and saying goodbye to a place are the same. I feel like the mood of this track captures that feeling perfectly. If you really want to experience it, wait until fall, light a little pile of leaves, inhale, and press play (JA).

 

10. The End Of Summer

A musical meditation smartly produced by Jeff Arundel, with lyrics that reflect on profound change - and how change seems to get harder as the years roll on. Background vocals by Pat Frederick, Jeff Victor, and Jeff Arundel.