AR/CO Drop Debut EP Origin Stories

by | Jul 12, 2024

The AR/CO creative universe is a fantastical vision of a futuristic desert rave, their pulsating, psychedelic dance-pop the soundtrack to a society ruled by life, love and liberation. And that imagination is winning the imagination of fans in the real world, their early career highlights including big collabs including Don Diablo, The Stickmen Project and Franky Wah; unforgettable live moments with Sub Focus, Kygo and 5 Seconds Of Summer; and even a GRAMMY Award nomination for their Kx5 feature and co-write / co-production Bright Lights.

AR/CO

AR/CO (Jacob Barri)
AR/CO (Jacob Barri)

Now AR/CO complete the foundations for the first era of their career by sharing their debut EP Origin Stories. It compiles five of their biggest singles to date and is completed by the new focus track Boys Like Girls. Those existing tracks have fired them past 3 million monthly listeners at Spotify, including 15 million streams of Night Feels.

AR/CO say: “Origin Stories was our chance to let people head-dive straight into the enigmatic and wonky world of AR/CO. It’s crazy that we had ideas of this planet where everything was set, to call it AR/CO and build a whole project around it. This EP is us swinging those doors wide open and saying come and hang with us in this place where the music is great and we’re all in it for a good time.

The music on the EP is a capsule collection of songs that we wrote from a place of innocence and creativity through the lockdown, the ideas are inspired and fresh and we know people will fall in love with the place where we rediscovered our passion for music and creativity. Earth is now, AR/CO is forever.”

Whether you’re already a fan of AR/CO’s previous euphoric anthems such as Night Feels and Call Me By My Name or are entirely new to their imaginative and escapist sounds, the new track BOYS LIKE GIRLS is a captivating addition to their growing discography. It’s a track that captures the essence of AR/CO: party vibes, effervescent energy and sweet duelling vocals which fires the dance-pop genre thrilling into the next century.

Mali-Koa adds: “Boys Like Girls was the third song we wrote in a day. Those last minute ideas where you’re tired or hungry can sometimes be so inspired because of how quickly they come. There’s more flow. We always joke about how it’s the 15-minute idea that takes two years to finish, but it was so worth it. It’s such an instant classic, it’s a twist to some of the stuff that came before and one for the girls (and boys) who just wanna have fun.”

Listen to Boys Like Girls below:

Coming from polar opposites on the planet, Mali-Koa (Sydney) and AR/CO partner Leo Stannard (Leicester) started their own individual adventures in music before they met at a writing session. They intended to reconnect, but the pandemic had other ideas – yet undeterred, they spent hours-upon-hours collaborating via Zoom, not only writing songs but imagining an entire world that their music could inhabit. Together, they realised that they loved their new project more than anything they had worked on before. And that was the genesis of AR/CO.

As the world gradually returned to normal, AR/CO’s was changed forever. Landmark moments kept coming: Radio 1 play; two Capital Dance playlists; support from Apple Music 1 / Elton John’s Rocket Hour; mounting acclaim; a sold-out headline tour; a Radio 1 Skyline Session with Franky Wah; hitting Radio 1’s Big Weekend with Sub Focus; a Billboard Music Award nomination for their Tiёsto collab Back Around; significant international progress, particularly in Germany and Italy; and numerous other collaborations including 220 KID, Hayden James, Will Clarke and Jaded.

Rock DJ Robbie Williams Entertains Us With The Glamour And The Party At BST Hyde Park 2024

 

Outpost Drive @ Gibson Garage, London (Henry Finnegan / @finneganfoto)

Intimate Harmonies And Powerful Stories: A Thursday Afternoon At London’s Gibson Garage

A Thursday afternoon at the Gibson Garage in London might sound like an unusual time for a gig, but that didn’t stop the room from filling with energy, storytelling, and some truly unforgettable performances.

Taylor Momsen of The Pretty Reckless @ Brixton Academy (Kalpesh Patel)

The Pretty Reckless Announce New Album ‘Dear God’, Share Punk-Driven Single ‘When I Wake Up’ And Confirm 2026 UK Tour

New York rock outfit The Pretty Reckless have unveiled details of their upcoming album Dear God, set for release on 26th June 2026 via Fearless Records. Alongside the announcement, the band have shared the album’s explosive lead single When I Wake Up and confirmed a run of UK headline shows for later this year.

President @ Download Festival XXII - Sunday (Adam Rossi)

Therapy? Announced As Friday Headliners For Takedown Festival 2026 After Phil Campbell Withdrawal

Northern Irish alt-rock veterans Therapy? have been confirmed as the new Friday night main stage headliners for Takedown Festival 2026, following the unfortunate withdrawal of Phil Campbell and his band Phil Campbell & The Bastard Sons due to Campbell’s ill health.

Alana Springsteen @ The Long Road Festival 2025 (Henry Finnegan / @finneganfoto)

Alana Springsteen: Turning Vulnerability Into Strength

When I caught Alana Springsteen live at the Long Road Festival last summer, the performance felt like something...
Gouge Away (Ian Enger)

Gouge Away Share New Single ‘Figurine’ And Sign To Run For Cover Records

Florida noise rock outfit Gouge Away have announced a new chapter in their career, signing to Run For Cover Records and unveiling the explosive new single Figurine.

Grade 2 (Christopher Bethell)

Grade 2 Confront Mental Health Struggles On New Single ‘Better Today’ Ahead Of Album ‘Talk About It’

Isle of Wight punk trio Grade 2 have released their powerful new single Better Today, offering another preview of their forthcoming album Talk About It, set for release on 3rd April.

Charlotte Sands (Juan Flores)

Charlotte Sands Shares ‘None Of My Business’ Video Following Release Of New Album ‘Satellite’

Alt-pop powerhouse Charlotte Sands has unveiled the official music video for None Of My Business, a standout track from her newly released album Satellite.

Rick McMurray (Ron Mickson)

Ash’s Rick McMurray Launches Solo Project Burned As Witches With Debut Album And New Single ‘Hold Your Nerve’

Rick McMurray, best known as the powerhouse drummer for Northern Irish rock trio Ash, has unveiled his new solo project Burned As Witches alongside the release of its debut single, Hold Your Nerve.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This

Share Thing