The Arcs were founded out of sessions for what was initially envisioned as a new solo album by The Black Keys’ singer-songwriter-guitarist, Dan Auerbach, with Leon Michels, Homer Steinweiss, and Nick Movshon lending support. Multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Richard Swift came on board to complete the lineup for what ultimately became a new band.

The 2015 release of the group’s debut album Yours, Dreamily, — which won praise from Rolling Stone, The Boston Globe, The Guardian, and NPR, among others — and a subsequent U.S. and European tour did not end The Arcs’ recording work.

While The Arcs toured through 2016, they always found themselves getting in a studio together making music. By the end of The Arc’s tour, there was a large pile of material already in the can, but the release of a second album was put on the back burner.

When Richard Swift died in the middle of 2018, it was a strong jolt for both Auerbach and Michels. It wasn’t until May of 2021 when Auerbach and Michels finally decided to listen to the recordings, and then the surviving members fleshed out the highly anticipated follow-up album, Electrophonic Chronic. Auerbach discloses, “This new album is all about honoring Swift. It’s a way for us to say goodbye to Swift, by revisiting him playing and laughing, singing.”