The Berklee-trained producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist channels nature, reflection, and a renewed sense of purpose into his latest release

Upcoming live dates include a 2027 run with Elderbrook

Los Angeles-based producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist ARLO today releases his new single, “Where Have I Been,” an expansive track that looks beyond the relationship-driven songwriting of his earlier work toward something bigger.

Written around the feeling of stepping away from the noise of everyday life and reconnecting with the natural world, “Where Have I Been” wrestles with questions of purpose and our need to understand why we’re here, before arriving at something simpler: maybe having all the answers isn’t the point.

“‘Where Have I Been’ is about taking a moment to step away,” says ARLO. “Life can be really busy, and sometimes you need to step away and think about why you’re here. The song starts from that place of trying to understand, but by the chorus it becomes more about realizing that maybe it’s okay not to know. You can feel the sunlight on your skin and appreciate being here. In that way, it’s really a celebration of life.”

That perspective has increasingly become central to ARLO’s music. Born Dillon Scheel, he grew up in Palo Alto before studying jazz guitar at Berklee College of Music. His musical foundation extends well beyond electronic music, with Stevie Wonder and Earth, Wind & Fire among his formative influences. Seeing Kaytranada at Outside Lands shortly after high school, hearing jazz-influenced chords and melodies translated onto a dancefloor, was what first showed him how those worlds could coexist.

His relationship with nature runs equally deep. Scheel often heads to the California coast to clear his head, and his interest in Eastern philosophy, particularly Taoism and Buddhism, has shaped both his worldview and his approach to making music. Rather than forcing an idea or chasing what he thinks might connect, he’s increasingly learned to let songs reveal themselves through the creative process.

That shift began to take shape during a writing session with friend and collaborator Kier, who had recently returned from Yosemite. The two started talking about their shared love of getting away and spending time alone in nature, and they eventually came to regard the Earth itself almost as another person in the room. The experience changed the way ARLO thought about songwriting. Instead of automatically writing about relationships, he began exploring nature, existence, and the experience of simply being alive. “Where Have I Been” grew out of that period of exploration.

“I’ve always wanted to express nature’s beauty through music, but in the past it felt almost preachy when I tried,” ARLO explains. “Something finally clicked. I realized that part of why I’m doing this is to share the world’s beauty with people. I want the music to capture the feeling you get when you’re outside, on a mountain, snowboarding or driving somewhere incredible.”

The main issue is the transition from the Lake Tahoe moment to the live show. “That growing connection with his audience” refers to something the preceding paragraphs never establish. I’d also tighten the ending so the touring and release schedule feel like a single forward-looking thought. That connection came into focus this summer when ARLO listened back to the new music during a trip to Lake Tahoe.

“I almost shed a tear,” he recalls. “For the first time, I felt like I’d accomplished what I’d always wanted to do with music. When I hear ‘Where Have I Been,’ I feel like I’m on top of a mountain watching the sunset. Nature feels so grand and epic, and I finally feel like I’m achieving some of that feeling in the music.”

ARLO is also seeing a shift in how audiences respond to his music live. In the project’s earlier days, opening slots often meant leaning on remixes of familiar records to connect with crowds who didn’t yet know his originals. At recent headline shows, that dynamic has started to reverse, with fans singing along to his own songs and asking for more. He’s also gradually expanding the show beyond a traditional DJ set, bringing vocalists onstage and stepping behind the microphone himself.

Following recent headline performances, including New York’s Bowery Ballroom, ARLO will kick off 2027 by joining Elderbrook on tour in March and April, with 11 dates across North America, including stops in Montréal, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, DC, before wrapping up at Colorado’s iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre on April 3.

“Where Have I Been” follows September’s “You and I” as ARLO continues a steady run of new 音乐 through the end of the year.