An Interview with Dan and Jeff of The Scarlet Goodbye on their NEW album “El Camino Adios”

El Camino Adios is a collaborative masterpiece by Daniel Murphy (Golden Smog and Soul Asylum) and Jeff Arundel, with contributions from other talented artists. This album paints a vivid picture of a mythical small town, capturing the essence of life’s hellos, goodbyes, heartaches, and reflections. Each track is a unique blend of organic and epic sounds, creating a timeless experience for listeners. The album will be available on all streaming services on March 14, 2025 with Angel Dust records, a division of the Label Group, distributed by Virgin.

Listen to the latest single “Raylene” 

Interview with The Scarlet Goodbye (Dan Murphy and Jeff Arundel)

Interview Contributed to by Krista Vilinskis of Elephants and Flowers Media

​We really dug your first two singles “Speedway” dropped Aug 16th, 2025 (written by Dan) and “To feel the Sun” dropped Nov. 1st, 2025 (written by Jeff) looks like you two share equal parts with the writing on this album? Would you say that to be true? As a band, how do you typically collaborate when writing music? Do you have a set structure or does it vary from track to track? 

We essentially work in whatever format these melodies, chord changes, and lyric ideas present themselves to us. Typically, whoever brings in the initial chord change is sort of the catalyst of the song to get it to the finish line– Much of the music was written on piano, not guitar, for this record, which opens up another set of dynamics and intervals as opposed to writing on guitar,which has always been my (Dan’s) go to method. Every song is different but Jeff brought in El Camino Adios as a completed composition, and I brought in 3 On A match as written – the rest we went back and forth on in collaboration as the recording process played out.

“El Camino Adios” is a powerful title. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind the name, and how it ties into the album’s themes?

El Camino is sort of a mythical town that hosts the transgressions and stories that are explored within this record. The record seems to touch on change, insecurities, living and dying and how we occupy the space and time in between as such, all narrated by someone who has been around awhile………….

This album feels like a journey. How would you describe the overarching narrative or emotional arc of El Camino Adios? 

Lyrics are really something we enjoy creating and working on. The song Raylene was written after attending a funeral and feeling compassion for the person that stoically yet with profound sadness read the eulogy at the proceeding. The song Great Again touches on the nostalgia of first forming a band in your young days and feeling a connection with your bandmates and the harmony and force that you can feel being a part of something that is somehow greater than its individual members? It also is a somewhat cryptic look at how success can leave members with varying degrees of sanity and happiness and or sadness after sharing somewhat similar experiences with their bandmates over many years. 

How did the writing and recording process for this album differ from your previous projects? Were there any challenges or breakthroughs that really shaped the sound of the album?

Writing on piano was again a new dimension. Also recording these songs as they were freshly written and as they were being composed was essential to capturing the original idea and to the feeling of a band playing new music together in a room for the first time and finding where the magic places lie in the music collectively as it was recorded. We had the luxury of recording at Jeff’s attic studio and we scheduled recording sessions with the band right after our rough ideas for these songs were written and sussed out, with little laboring over the details and even less shadow of doubt second guessing or over thinking……………

Were there any specific musical or lyrical influences that played a key role in shaping El Camino Adios?

Jeff and I have such different music tastes that is sort of what makes it work? I really did not listen to much music other than the rough mixes and recordings we were making of The Scarlet Goodbye as this was being recorded. 

There’s a unique mix of genres on the album. How do you approach blending different styles, and what were you hoping to achieve with this mix?

Melody and harmonies and textures are essential in The Scarlet Goodbye– we also try to develop a persona or story -telling style for the singer of the songs, and try to make that voice believable and earnest and compelling as though he is telling you a story that he finds interesting and wants to share with you to get a reaction? 

How has the band’s sound evolved from your last album “Hope Eternal” to “El Camino Adios”? Were there any conscious decisions made to explore new territory or push boundaries?

This record has a more ambitious feel to me? It also sounds organic and uncontrived to me? Most of it was recorded with the desire to keep all of the initial tracks as played in a room with the core musicians all contributing ideas spontaneously.

In terms of your musical growth, what do you think El Camino Adios says about where The Scarlet Goodbye is now compared to when you first started out?

We believe in the process and the power of song. The space we record in is really an unassuming great work space that I feel very comfortable working in– there are no clocks, budgets, time lines or to do lists that must be done from day to day. I have never felt more creative than the attic space at Heather Place in Saint Paul. 

The lyrics seem very reflective and personal on this album. Can you share more about the emotional space you were in while writing the songs?

Each track is an attempt to tell a story or convey a series of feelings with the narrator being the singer. Harmony singing is also a key part of The Scarlet Goodbye. Pat Nelson and Pat Frederick and Jeff Victor all sang harmonies on these recordings.

Are there any tracks on the album that hold a particularly deep or personal meaning to you? If so, could you tell us about them?

Sad Burlesque is an interesting attempt at dark storytelling- a jilted and soon to be divorced man tells the story of the upheaval and uncoupling – from a jaded self centered perspective and from the place of surviving a self inflicted suicide attempt, mostly in an attempt to get the attention of his no longer interested ex lover. The line “Trying to find a circle inside of a square – falling out of a rainbow that probably wasn’t even there” relates to being administered Rorschach tests in a locked mental ward.

Several songs on the album seem to deal with themes of farewell and change. How does that resonate with your personal experiences or the band’s journey?

Very perceptive observation – change and so-longs can be the only constants in this world!

How did you approach the production of El Camino Adios? Were there any new techniques or technology that you experimented with this time around?

We try to track as a unit with the four or five of us in the same room, recording as a unit in hopes of keeping the initial takes that document the interactions between us as the songs are presented and learned and played through for the first times. We have a nice stash of vintage guitars & small low watt vintage tube amps and we used several different tunings as well as baritone and high strung guitars.  

The album’s sonic atmosphere is rich and layered. How did you want the listeners to feel sonically throughout the experience of the album?

We tried to create memorable hooks like the baritone bass guitar line on Speedway,  and the 3 part choral orchestral female singing on Raylene which was meant to be the voice of the angels spoken of in the verses of the composition……………

With the release of El Camino Adios, what’s next for The Scarlet Goodbye? Are you planning any tours or live shows to bring the album to fans?

We have a series of shows happening here in the spring and summer months in the twin cities. We are really hoping to gain enough traction with this music and this record specifically to be able to tour and play frequently and connect with music lovers!

What do you hope listeners take away from El Camino Adios after hearing it?

What a joy-filled project this was to create & make and how it never ventured into the realm of tedious work. Jeff and I have a unique bridge that we have been able to create without a lot of verbal conversations or second guessing. The music is instinctual and gratifying and we are honored to be able to share this with you all! 

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“El Camino Adios”

Engineered and Produced by Jeff Arundel
“Sad Burlesque” engineered by Miles Hansen
Additional production by D.D. Murphy
Mixed by Jeff Arundel and Rob Genadek
Mastered by Rob Genadek
Recorded at Avalon Studios and Creation Audio
Artwork/Graphic Design by Jarman

All songs by Daniel Murphy and Jeff Arundel except “3 on a Match” by Daniel Murphy, “El Camino Adios” by Jeff Arundel, “Temptation Eyes” by Dan Walsh and Harvey Price, and “End of Summer” by Daniel Murphy, Jeff Arundel, and Pedro Mariani.

WEBSITE AND SOCIALS:

Website: https://www.thescarletgoodbye.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thescarletgoodbye
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Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thescarletgoodbye
Linktree: linktr.ee/thescarletgoodbye
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