The Arcs: Yours, Dreamily review – sepia-tinted playfulness from Black Keys frontman

Not a solo record as such, Yours, Dreamily by the Arcs is a side project fronted by Dan Auerbach, on hiatus from the Black Keys. Given Auerbach’s varied extramural activities (producing Dr John and Lana Del Rey, for two), it’s little surprise to find Auerbach teaming up with a female mariachi vocal troupe and a half-dozen pivotal musician friends, not to radically subvert his day job, but to tinker groovily with its edges. Catchy headline songs such as Outta My Mind fit the Black Keys template almost exactly, but the album’s frequent sampled and pasted interludes, its wiggy organ and woozy country-soul atmosphere all build up a sense of sepia-tinted playfulness that sidesteps the Black Keys’ usual growl and punch. Come & Go seems to open with a sex scene, while songs such as Chains of Love positively twinkle with detail.