Arkson – Victory (Video)
“Your favourite guitar chords, piano keys and powerful drums form the sound of “Victory”. Energetic, intense and uplifting composition followed by the expressive singing of Arkson. That progression and very sophisticated transition techniques also reveal a big talent.”
-Nagamag.com
David Park, leader of the Toronto, Canada-based indie-rock band Arkson, is keenly equipped to capture the kinetic energy of now. He is a classical and jazz trained composer with an education in film composition, his diverse background enables him to honor many rich heritages while bursting through temporal and genre boundaries. Fittingly, his upcoming series of singles are eclectically standalone.
“I prefer to think that each is song is its own unique moment, and I aim to make them feel different. I like the idea of not looking back and just pushing ahead with constant fresh inspiration,” David notes.
Arkson’s dynamic musicality evokes artists such as Arcade Fire, Arkells, and Imagine Dragons. Arkson songs are ambitiously arranged and densely layered with textures and musical motifs, yet the tracks also brim with unforgettable hooks. David self-produces the music, and handles performing most of the instruments on all the tracks.
David formed Arkson in 2015 when he was still in high school and, since then, Arkson has released 3 EPs, 2 singles, and performed at some Toronto’s most prestigious small venues, including the Horseshoe Tavern and the Monarch Tavern. Arkson was set to be travelling to Portugal in the summer of 2020 as ambassadors for the Bracara Cup in Braga, as they were recently asked to write and perform the inaugural tournament anthem for July 2020. Unfortunately, the tournament has been postponed due to COVID-19.
David’s lyrics seek to frame the divide between past and present, and to capture the moments he experiences. This thematic through line may have something to do with this family, who moved around often as he was growing up. “It gave me a perspective that I don’t think you get when you are stationary. Permanent things felt temporary for me. I always had to make new friends, and I had a feeling like I didn’t belong anywhere but could also fit in everywhere,” he shares.
The single, Victory, was written to be the anthem song for Lank FC and the Bracara Cup in Portugal for the summer of 2020. The song is impactfully arranged, building from ethereal indie rock to emotive anthemics before climaxing with opulent orchestral final chorus. “It is meant to be an intense, energetic pump-up song which captures the spirit of sport—pushing as hard as you can towards the goal, never giving up, and never stopping,” David says. Its words viscerally capture the quest for excellence. Key lyrics include: Shooting high, shooting low/Running fast, thinking slow/We’re fighting till the end, and we’ll do it all again/If I fall before the goal, you’ll see me crawling for it all, And we’ll do it all again.
Reviewed by Nagamag on March 22, 2021