Arcana Shares a Tale of Love and Loss with the Debut EP, ‘Letters From a Lost Soul’ [Premiere]

Everybody’s gotta start somewhere, but some people start further ahead than others. That couldn’t be more of the case than with a fine and growing young artist named Arcana. Armed with a heavy load of talent and conviction, he is ready to unleash his debut EP, Letters From A Lost Soul | Act I: The World One Forms, which you can listen to in its entirety today prior to its November 6th release.

The four-song collection is a beautiful conglomeration of progressive rock, pop hooks, and operatic vocals and soundscapes. Conceptually, the EP explores a love story that is conveyed through delicate letters composed by the character of Damian, written for his wife Hope and his daughter Cassidy. With these letters, Damian is attempting to heal his relationships with his family in the wake of a terrible tragedy. It’s an honest and relatable story that at one time or another we all experience in some way, shape, or form.

With some more insight into the EP and his priorities for it, Arcane stated, “Letters From A Lost Soul | Act I: The World One Forms weaves a tale of love and pain, life and loss, and hope and fear. I wanted to produce this sci-fi epic that was told over multiple albums, but it is also important to me that I include a diverse cast of artists that I could continually expand upon from the local scene and beyond, and I think this album sets the stage for that quite well. Letters From A Lost Soul will set up the next arc where most of the sci-fi influences start to take shape, and so I wanted Act I and the following Letters release to feel more grounded and organic to contrast the more modern metal approach I take in the next arc. I still sneak in some space-age style synth layers and work in those themes and desires from the characters that will guide them into the next chapter.

Damian is a husband and father who works away from home for long periods of time, labouring on a dying space program in a world that just does not see the need for it anymore. He writes letters while he is away to his wife, Hope, and daughter Cassidy that tell of his desire to see them again and the anxieties that are building within him. They are the light that guides him home, but there is even greater darkness growing in his mind.”

Arcane is the musical alias and creation of Rogan McAndrews, a Calgary, Alberta-based multi-instrumentalist with a flair for the recording studio. He is so much more than just a musician, though, with McAndrews having a hand in the entire creative process of writing, recording, and releasing an album. He played guitar, bass, and drums on each song on the EP, wrote each note, co-produced it, and even had a hand in creating the album artwork.

Letters From A Lost Soul | Act I: The World One Forms is just the beginning of a grander narrative for Arcana that will blend science-fiction, mythology, and human action in the face of adversity. McAndrews is a man with lofty goals with his sights set very high. With his whole future ahead of him, he’s certainly off to a good start with this challenging, yet accessible debut release.

Artwork for ‘Letters From A Lost Soul – Act I: The World One Forms’ by Arcana