The Ar-Kaics tap into the defiance and despair of late-60s garage rock on See the World on Fire

Virginia four-piece the Ar-Kaics formed in 2012, and their members have played together since the 90s—but as their name suggests, they sound much older. Their first two albums—2014’s The Ar-Kaics and 2018’s In This Time , the latter on Daptone rock imprint Wick—capture the fun, high-energy swagger of classic American garage rock. With their hooky songwriting and spot-on vintage-sounding production, they’d fit right in among the late-60s bands documented on the famous Nuggets compilation. The Ar-Kaics took six years to arrive at their next full-length, 2024’s See the World on Fire (Feel It), and it takes a somber turn—their sound is still very 60s, but it leans more toward the deep psychedelia and forlorn folk rock at the end of the decade. Album opener “Chains” seems to lament the