‘How Long Can You Stare’ is the début single from London-based band, Arctic Lake. A masterclass in precision and subtlety. If their band name – Arctic Lake is anything to go off from what we should expect from their music, it’s very deceptive. ‘How Long Can You Stare’ is nowhere near the icy pools of the Arctic, yet it’s deeply enveloping and completely consuming.
Ambient layers of soft guitar and atmospherics lay the canvas bare for Emma Forster’s vocals to shine and pierce through into your heart. The track rests on the edge of breaking down till midway through the track where drums and surging guitars kick in and pour over us like a tidal wave of emotion.
For a début track it shows a band that are striving to create big, cinematic soundscapes and one that highly covets deep introspection and intensity of sound. ‘How Long Can You Stare’ pines for someone to hold, it’s just that bit out of reach, it’s almost tangible. That’s what makes it so powerful and so beautifully melancholic.
If ‘How Long Can You Stare’ is clear intent of what we can expect from this band onwards, then watch out, this band are ready to storm the music scene and steal your hearts away.
