A stirring debut album from Mark Arabia, HOW WE GOT HERE delivers a heartfelt mixture of alt-pop and pop-punk — pairing vulnerable lyricism with hooky, replay-inducing productions. Throughout the release, Arabia channels the ache and clarity that follow a breakup, confronting loss not as an endpoint but as a turning point. The album thrives on its blend of emotional candor and melodic immediacy.
The album’s title track commences the release with compelling emotion, capturing a relationship at a crossroads. “Do you really wanna fix this? Or are we terminal?” his vocals ask amidst understated guitar pulses. “Running in a circle, back to square one, it’s so clear,” continues the introspective heart-tugging, here set amidst jangling guitars and steady rhythms. The track evolves with melodic, sincere enjoyment. The ensuing “D.) ALL OF THE ABOVE” is a cohesive thematic follow-up, weaving quiz-oriented terminology with perspectives of a relationship on a pass/fail basis. Arabia’s vocals are especially dynamic here, seamlessly swelling from its “you didn’t change your choices” subdued angst to a punchy “was it a single defining moment?” ardency.
Another standout track, “HARD TO CHANGE (STILL)” invigorates with its peppy rhythmic backing and punk-friendly guitar movements. Aspirations of growing up and betterment compel within, with its “why’s it gotta be so hard to change?” hook bringing forth a serene introspection, sitting enjoyably between the grittier rock pulses of the verses. Aesthetically, the track fondly resembles Last Dinosaurs in its fervent, emotive ascent and jangling guitar entry in the final minute. “CALL HOME” follows with a heart-on-sleeve entrancement, navigating through life’s rapid changes into a soaring “place we call home” vigor; the expanse from recounting hectic modern-living — “life’s gotten weird” — to yearning for nostalgic comforts plays with immersive allure.
“TWO YEARS LATER” furthers a sense of lingering emotion, years following a split. Contemplative vocals and acoustic strums pair initially, asking “is your new life any better? does your grass look really green? do you still wear my old sweater?” — moving in its admissions of lingering on like a ghost. Further quality songwriting is apparent on album finale “THE PARTS I KEPT,” which comes back to the pop-punk aesthetic and a knack for climactic hooky unveilings. Lyrically, it plays as fiercely independent statement of self-reclamation following emotional wreckage, refusing to be defined by a painful past. “I’m not the wreckage you forgot to claim / I’m not a story that still ends in your name,” Arabia sings. Full of quality tracks and from-the-heart songwriting, HOW WE GOT HERE is a consistently memorable success of a debut album from Mark Arabia.
