Arlie Finds New Freedom and Emotional Depth on "Someone You Can Believe In"

Arlie’s Someone You Can Believe In is an album shaped by transition. It emerges from a period of introspection, creative rebuilding, and a decisive shift away from the machinery of the major label world. The record plays like an inward journey documented in real time. It is a concept album with a narrative spine, complete with spoken interludes, yet it feels strikingly personal.

Listening to the album is like entering a series of rooms where emotional experiences echo against spiritual questions. Banks constructs this path through dialogue chapters that weave the songs together. These scenes evoke the world building techniques of classic radio, where voice acting and soundscape guide the listener toward a greater understanding of the unfolding story. Through them he explores a crisis of belief, the lingering pain of heartbreak, and the long process of learning to rely on one’s own sense of truth.

The album’s musical approach marks a return to the methods that first defined Arlie. Banks leans into the intimacy of his original bedroom setup. He uses the same acoustic guitar and Strat that shaped his early sound. He revisits his instinctive layering techniques, building harmonies and textures with a deliberate handmade quality. It reflects an artist who has chosen authenticity over polish.

The single “is it okay if i love you” stands as a centerpiece of the record. It came together during a moment of emotional urgency and technical limitation. After his laptop was stolen Banks found himself writing by hand and exploring musical fragments without the digital tools he once relied on. When he finally acquired a new laptop he recorded the track quickly. It originated as a personal gesture, intended as a birthday gift. That context radiates through the song. It carries a tone of longing and gentle vulnerability that complements its Beatles inspired arrangement.

Throughout the album Biblical imagery appears in lyrics and narrative references. These allusions serve as emotional metaphors rather than doctrinal statements. Banks uses the language of scripture as a way to articulate longing for meaning and understanding. It feels like an attempt to communicate with something larger than oneself while also acknowledging the silence that often greets those questions.

One narrative moment within the album’s story illustrates these themes with particular clarity. During a public interaction a child repeats a mistaken assumption about Arlie’s gender. The father attempts to correct him but ends up creating a moment of discomfort. Instead of engaging with the awkwardness directly Arlie responds through song. That choice transforms the scene from one of tension into one of vulnerability and connection. It represents a critical shift in the album’s narrative arc. For the first time Arlie stops focusing on external perceptions and turns inward toward a quieter truth.

The broader arc of Banks’s career shapes the meaning of the album. His time in the major label system left him feeling disconnected from his own creative instincts. He carried the weight of expectations that contradicted his values. When internal changes at the label allowed him to step away he embraced the opportunity to rebuild his identity as an artist. This album is the result of that rebuilding. It reflects renewed trust in his own voice and an understanding of the costs and rewards of independence.

Someone You Can Believe In is not a passive listening experience. It encourages the audience to follow its narrative structure, sit with its emotional complexity, and appreciate the slow revelation of its themes. It stands as a rare album that prioritizes sincerity and depth in a culture that values speed and simplicity. Arlie’s commitment to this vision makes the record one of his most significant achievements to date.