Curtis Harding - Departures & Arrivals: Adventures of Captain Curt

Curtis Harding is proof of the strange magic that happens when musical prowess meets unbridled imagination on his fourth full-length album, a true-to-life reflection he has expanded into an elaborate concept album about a pilot lost in space. 'Departures & Arrivals: Adventures of Captain Curt' merges the lavish scope of a space opera with the pure feeling of classic soul—ultimately bringing an even greater potency to his wildly eclectic sound.    

“Because I’m away from home so much of the time, a lot of these songs came from feeling adrift and wanting to get back to the ones I love,” he says. “I started envisioning this character who takes a journey and gets lost in space, then ends up traveling through different galaxies and dimensions as he’s trying to find his way back home.” 
 
Naming Ridley Scott among his favorite sci-fi auteurs, Harding notes that the extravagant world-building of 'Departures & Arrivals' inspired many of his production choices, including the abundance of symphonic string arrangements supplied by Steve Hackman (a composer who’s worked with such diverse artists as Doja Cat and Andrew Bird). “I’ve always used strings on my records but never to this extent, and everything Steve created just took me to another place,” he points out. 
 
Self-produced at Electric Deluxe Recorders (an Austin studio owned by Adrian Quesada of Black Pumas), 'Departures & Arrivals' serves as the follow-up to 'If Words Were Flowers'—a 2021 release hailed by the likes of UPROXX, who praised Harding for “making some of the best modern soul music out right now.” For Harding, the decision to handle production on his own stemmed from a deep desire to pursue his creative ideals without compromise or restraint. Mostly recorded live with a full band, 'Departures & Arrivals' encompasses everything from moody space-funk to lush baroque-pop to otherworldly psych-rock—all while endlessly spotlighting Harding’s rich and captivating vocals and incandescent guitar work.    
 
“I produced my first album so this felt like a return, although this time I was more confident and capable of sonically going where I wanted to go,” says Harding. “I really love the process of building worlds in the studio, doing what I want in the moment and experimenting with new sounds instead of doing the same thing over and over.” 
 
'Departures & Arrivals' ushers in a bold new era for Harding while staying true to the profound sense of purpose that’s always fueled his songwriting. “Sometimes when you’re feeling lost, hearing from someone else who’s felt the same way can let you know you’re not alone—that’s really the whole sentiment of the album,” says Harding. “I hope these songs help people to recognize that feeling lost is all part of the journey, and that the journey is what’s most important anyway. And once you realize that, you’re on the right path. You’re already on your way home.”