In a city that constantly refreshes its guitar bands, arrowe arrive with something both familiar and quietly personal. The London four piece formed in early 2024 when vocalist Becca Webb, bassist Dre Coles and keys player Aysha Fakhouri began writing together before guitarist Norlan Miller joined soon after. By the summer they had settled on the name arrowe and quickly moved from casual sessions to shaping a sound that balances buoyant indie pop instincts with a deeper emotional current.
Their debut single “it’s all good,” offers the clearest introduction yet. At first listen the track moves with an easy, upbeat energy. Norlan’s bright guitar lines glide over Aysha’s layered keys while Dre’s bass anchors the rhythm with a steady pulse. It carries the warm, nostalgic sheen that fans of bands like Good Neighbours, The Royston Club and Wallows will recognise. But beneath that glow sits something heavier.
The song circles around the quiet habit of pretending everything is fine when it is not. For Becca, writing the lyrics meant confronting a feeling she had struggled to articulate before. The phrase that sparked the song came from Norlan during an early rehearsal, but the emotional core grew out of a more vulnerable place. The lyrics reflect the tendency many people have to brush aside problems rather than speak openly about them.
That tension between brightness and vulnerability sits at the heart of arrowe’s music. Their songs often pair upbeat instrumentals with reflective lyrics, a contrast that feels both intentional and natural. The band’s influences sit comfortably within modern indie pop, but their writing leans toward something more personal. It is music designed to feel welcoming on the surface while quietly opening a space for harder conversations. Their debut EP moments in between, arriving March 20, expands on that idea. The title reflects the complicated emotional spaces that exist between life’s brighter moments. For the band, those in between periods are where many of their songs begin.
Over the past year arrowe have steadily built momentum on London stages, playing venues like The Spice of Life and headlining Off the Cuff while developing a reputation for energetic sets that mix original material with reimagined covers. They have also supported HotVox’s Rising initiative in aid of WarChild. To mark the release of “it’s all good,” the band will hosted a charity show at 229 in London on February 26 in partnership with the mental health organisation SANE, donating half of the ticket proceeds. It is a fitting gesture for a band whose music often centres around connection, vulnerability and the idea that no one should have to struggle alone.
With their debut EP on the horizon and a growing presence on the live circuit, arrowe are beginning to carve out their place in the UK’s indie scene. If their early music suggests anything, it is that honesty may be their most powerful instrument. We caught up with the band to talk about the vulnerability behind “it’s all good,” the balance between upbeat indie textures and heavier themes, and what listeners can expect from their upcoming debut EP moments in between.
AVOLA: “It’s all good” is a very personal song. What was going through your mind when you first started writing the lyrics?
Becca: The instrumental idea for ‘it’s all good’ came to the band from our guitarist Norlan with the line ‘oh well it’s all good’ built in and that basically kick started the idea for the track. I tried for ages to write some upbeat lyrics to match the vibe of the rest of the track but then had the idea to flip it around and write something more honest and true to me.
The lyrics came from a place of a bad habit I struggle with sometimes of brushing any problems under the rug and pretending that everything’s fine even when it’s really not. It’s probably one of the most vulnerable songs I’ve written so it was pretty difficult to start sharing it as it definitely feels like I’ve almost ripped a part of myself out and put it on display but it felt too important of a topic to shy away from. This was the first time I’d ever really tried putting this feeling into words so the main thing that kept going through my mind was ‘I really hope this makes sense’!
AVOLA: The song touches on mental health in a very honest way. Why was it important for you to share that side of your experience with listeners?
Becca: Mental health is something that means a lot to me and mental health support is something I will always advocate for. I’ve struggled with my mental health in a few different ways over the years and I know what it feels like to suffer in silence because you’re worried people won’t understand or because you don’t want to almost burden other people.
I felt it was incredibly important to share this side of me as I believe there’s nothing more human than showing the uglier parts of your existence to others. It’s scary to show the worst bits of yourself to people but I think it’s important to do so to show people that if they’re struggling with something similar they’re not alone. If I’m not being honest in my songwriting, I’m not being honest with myself so to me it’s important to write about the big things that are difficult to explain as well as the stuff that comes easy.
AVOLA: When someone listens to arrowe for the first time, what feeling do you hope they leave with?
When people listen to arrowe for the first time I’d like them to leave feeling less alone. Most of our music is upbeat and good vibes with the odd sadder song but the common theme is always the same, you are not alone. I hope people are able to listen and see themselves within our lyrics and feel a little more understood. Community is so important to us and it’s something we strive to build and nurture within everything we do and I hope that shines through in our music. If we can make one person feel like they’re a little less alone in how they feel or see the world it’s all worth it.
AVOLA: The track is driven by some really strong bass moments. How did you approach building the groove for “it’s all good”?
The groove for its all good really just started on the guitar, our guitarist Norlan had a chord progression in mind and it kind of just went from there. Adding some simple root notes on the bass with a drum beat gives the guitar and track its groove.
Dre: When the band is writing together, how do you usually shape the foundation of a song?
We largely go on vibes, sometimes our songwriting could start somewhere then go completely the opposite way. We want to have fun when making our songs and we try to showcase that through our music. As it all starts, someone comes in, usually Norlan, with an idea then we each just add our own little flavour to it.
AVOLA: Keys can really shape the emotional atmosphere of a track. How did you approach the textures and mood for this single?
Aysha: Our guitarist Norlan came in with a basic idea of what they had in mind for the song, so I took those chords and played around with different inversions and octaves. A lot of the time our music is cognitively dissonant, where the instrumental is more upbeat and cheerful while the lyrics are more emotional.
So it was about making sure that whatever I ended up doing worked well with the vibe of the other instruments.
AVOLA: Outside of music, what inspires your creativity the most right now?
Aysha: Honestly, watching live music is one of the ways I’m inspired most, but outside of music I would say going on runs, spending time with friends and just saying yes to spontaneous trips is what inspires me creatively the most.
AVOLA: Guitar often sets the energy in indie music. What kind of sound or feeling were you trying to bring into this track?
Norlan: As far as feeling goes, I really liked the Paramore album ‘After Laughter’ and how they simultaneously managed to have two drastically different emotions running through the whole album. I knew I wanted to do something similar with having a melancholy sound with an upbeat feel to the track to drive two narratives.
AVOLA: Live shows are such an important part of indie culture. What’s your favourite moment that happens on stage during an arrowe set?
Norlan: My favourite moment on stage would have to be when Aysha was queuing up the next song to play however it was one that we didn’t have the backing track sorted for yet. As she did this Dre leaned over her and switched it off and I think this went back and forth about three or four times before we managed to start the song without the cues.
AVOLA: Your debut EP moments in between is coming soon. What does that title represent for all of you at this stage of the band?
The Whole Brand: To us, the title moments in between is kind of about all the harder moments in life that come in between all the happy and exciting things we do. All of us have struggled with mental health at some point, and although we all feel better now, it’s important to remind ourselves and others that recovery isn’t always linear and doesn’t have an expiry date. So when these moments of sadness in between all the good creep back in, it’s a reminder that they are just a temporary feeling rather than a reality.
Featured Images: Artist Supplied
