Arlie

Arlie is the alias of the indie singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and sound designer, Nathaniel Banks. Born in Northern Virginia and now residing in Los Angeles, Banks launched Arlie out of Nashville in 2017, with a stated ethos of “making the kind of music [he] would actually listen to.” Arlie quickly gained traction online after releasing two DIY bedroom masterpieces, “big fat mouth,” and “did ya think.” He signed with Atlantic Records, and rallied a group of enthusiastic musicians for a high-voltage full-band live show to complement the meticulously crafted recordings. In the wake of nationwide tours headlining clubs, as well as opening for COIN, Rostam, Cold War Kids, and Mt. Joy, with performances at Bonnaroo, Shaky Knees, and Live on the Green, Arlie's debut EP, “WAIT” (Fall 2018), became a staple for pre-pandemic indie fans. Arlie released his first full-length LP, Break the Curse, in June 2022, accompanied by a period of heavy touring, with performances at Austin City Limits, Lollapalooza and Shaky Knees.

Arlie’s approach to arranging and sculpting sounds in Logic is as integral to his artistic voice as his lyrics and delivery. Listening to Arlie feels like you’ve stumbled upon a lost cassette from a parallel universe or alternate timeline of the 1970’s. Lyrically, he draws influence from literature, philosophy, mythology, religion, and dreams. His idiosyncratic recordings evoke a nostalgia for a golden age that never existed. Arlie’s sonic vision was born out of a lifelong love of rock and roll recordings from the 1950s and ‘60s, combined with an upbringing as a jazz saxophonist, formative experiences playing guitar in church bands, and a cheerfully rebellious disposition. Filter these sensibilities through the lens of 2010’s pitchfork-era indie, 2020’s bedroom psych-pop instincts, a training in classical music theory, and a few years in the Nashville songwriting scene, and you can begin to understand the origins of Arlie’s stylistic lane.

Fast-forward to 2025, Arlie’s upcoming second full-length album marks a comeback, after a year-long detox from social media activity and major-label nonsense. Coming this Feb 14th, the beloved visionary returns in classic form with "something about her." This track was made in collaboration with composer and guitarist Nicholas Creus, a recent Manhattan School of Music grad whose catalogue of homemade tape recordings shows effortless mastery of his instrument combined with timeless taste. This single follows the New Years Day release, “texting in the shower,” which reignited fans with its airy dreampop textures combined with distinctly Arlie-esque lyrical and sonic choices.

Arlie’s next body of work is a continued evolution of the blueprint he first put forward on the WAIT EP. While his artistic maturation is apparent, one can sense a return to the vitality and scrappiness of those recordings that first captivated his audience. With snarl and wit and a winking self-awareness, Arlie’s timeless tape gems are this time in dialogue with the crises and complexes of our present day, on both a personal and a societal level.