When we are faced with difficult situations it is very easy to want to throw in the towel and call it quits. Especially when said difficult situation is a global pandemic that has put your entire industry on an effective hold as the world navigates new safety precautions regarding live events.

But instead of calling it quits when their plans for 2020 were turned upside down, UK based “grit pop” artist Arcadian Haze chose to focus on the positives the year could provide, instead of the negative.

From recording and releasing their debut EP Love on the Dole to conquering the world of managing social media pages and connecting with audiences in a solely digital age, Arcadian Haze used the year to recharge and get their creative juices flowing for their inevitable return to the studio and to the stage.

We had a chance to chat with the band for our latest edition of our Quarantine Questionnaire series in order to find out how they held together during the past ten months and what their hopes are for the future- praying that the pandemic comes to a healthy close this new year.

You can read our full interview below, and be sure to stream their new EP Love on the Dole, out now.

Second Society Report: How were you able to hold up throughout the past year? Hopefully your friends and families are staying safe and  healthy! 

Arcadian Haze: Feeling bad for the less fortunate ones. It’s pretty shit for  everybody. 

SSR: Did you have any big releases or tours that were put on hold because of the pandemic? How has that affected the band? 

Arcadian Haze: Glastonbury legends slot got cancelled. Nah, all joking aside, other than missing the gigs and all that comes with it, we haven’t let it affect us. We enjoy each other’s company and have come up with some great new music during this time. 

SSR: How have you been spending your newfound “downtime” while the world has been essentially shut down? 

Arcadian Haze: Just spending time with our families, recharging our batteries, thus giving us the energy and inspiration to release and promote this EP whilst also getting the second one ready to be recorded in 2021. 

SSR: Have you picked up any new hobbies while quarantining that you’d like to share? 

Arcadian Haze: Yeah, Tye’s been playing a bit of 5-a-side football in the local area, he won’t be changing professions any time soon. Rosey’s been practicing piano a fair bit and we’ve got an anthem from it in “Happy.” Nath & Jamie have re-decorated the lock up, it looks stunning, wasted on a bunch of Raggy lads like ourselves! Gilby finally learned how to use the band’s social media accounts. 

SSR: Have you worked on any new releases during this time? Any that are already out or that we can get a sneak peak of? 

Arcadian Haze: We’ve just released our debut EP Love on the Dole and received overwhelmingly positive feedback so far, check it out on all the usual music platforms! 

SSR: If already out- what was the inspiration for the release? Have you written any songs specifically about the state of the world  right now? 

Arcadian Haze: Yeah it’s definitely got something to say about everyday life on the streets of S73 and how to cope, or not to cope, with the monotonous 8 hour shifts; 6 days a week! 

SSR: How has it been being an artist in a time when you cannot  tour? How have you been working to promote your music and expand your reach? 

Arcadian Haze: It’s a shame that we can’t gig but there’s plenty worse off than us and it’s important never to forget that! However, we’ve turned this into a positive by channeling all our energy into writing new and  improving existing songs. We also got to record and release our debut ep which was a great experience (massive thanks to all at The Animal Farm) whilst also improving our social media game. 

SSR: Do you have any words of advice for fans that are feeling  particularly bummed out about the live music world coming to  a halt? 

Arcadian Haze: Keep calm and carry on.

SSR: When the world returns to a safer spot and we are able to (hopefully) attend live shows again- say in 2021- what do you  hope to achieve? 

Arcadian Haze: Reclaim our legends slot at Glastonbury (see poor attempt at joke  in question 1). Realistically we’d like to record and release our  second EP, which in our opinion is even better than the first, so  hopefully it will take us to another level both musically and  commercially. 

SSR: Is there anything you wish your fans would know about you or  about the current state of the music world? 

Arcadian Haze: We appreciate all the love and support we have had and continue  to get from them.

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