We questioned whether the all-instrumental Weehawken combo Royal Arctic Institute can replicate the cool sounds of their vinyl release ‘From Catnip To Coma To Catharsis’ (“BUT CAN THEY DO IT LIVE,” August 4). The plan called for them to hit four record stores last month. Well, they did, and it was a resounding success.

We’ve been documenting the recent jams of The Royal Arctic Institute—from Weehawken in Hudson County—in this space of late. Their combo of fried sizzle gumbo, fusion funk, soundtrack-style weirdness and instrumental alt-pop has tickled our fancy since their inception. But, the question remains, can they do it live?

The previously available only-on-cassette sounds of 2022’s ‘From Catnip To Coma’ and this year’s exquisitely chill ‘From Coma To Catharsis’ have been melded into one satisfying listen plus new track “New South Wales” and will be released August 4.

They’re calling it post-rock. It sounds like the soundtrack to a horror film where you just know the heroine is going to get her head chopped off but you don’t know when. The Royal Arctic Institute—with members from Hoboken and Weehawken—have no singer and that’s why they’re special. The follow-up to their 2021 From Catnip To Coma is a languid chill affair accentuated by the production of Yo La Tengo’s James McNew.