ARKELLS: Laundry Pile Friday, 22 September 2023 09:30 by madseason
Arkells - Quiet Love

Today, Arkells release their new studio album Laundry Pile via Universal Music Canada, alongside the music video for the new single Quiet Love.
"Anyone who keeps a journal will tell you that writing is one of the best ways to work through the chapters of your life," says frontman, Max Kerman. "Our new album Laundry Pile is a chapter that documents some of the messy parts that end up teaching you a lot: love, regret, desire, shame, and the longing to get it right. The title track is out first, and it's a memory honouring the little moments that represent a true partnership."

A brand-new album was not in the works for Arkells. Having been steadily releasing new music over the last few years, the band wasn't actively planning the next record to come this quickly. What became Laundry Pile caught the band by surprise and began to take shape. 

At the top of the year, Arkells got together with a goal to work on acoustic renditions of recent material, jam and hang out, but very quickly started ruminating on other little ideas. "I brought in some demos I had been working on - they were little conversations with myself," continues Kerman. "I had no expectations to do anything with the material, but then the band came to the rescue. It was very all-hands-on-deck. The more we meditated on the music, the more connected we became to the songs and to each other.

Much of Arkells' most recognizable material aims to be spirited and anthemic, but this collection of songs are more personal, pensive, and reserved. It's the kind of album that is one cohesive listening experience - in keeping with the spirit of the classic singer-songwriter tradition. 

"After a few weeks, we took a look at the white board with the growing number of songs scribbled on it and became excited to share these songs immediately," Kerman adds. "It was one of the most deeply creative experiences we've had as a band so far. It's important to simply honour the moment you're in, and that's what we did."

Laundry Pile is available now for streaming or download.

ARKELLS: Campfire Chords Thursday, 20 August 2020 18:00 by madseason
Arkells - Quitting You

Today, August 20, Arkells unveil Campfire Chords, a stripped back collection featuring 17 of their most beloved songs plus brand new single Quitting You.

As the music landscape continues to evolve in 2020, Arkells took a pause from working on their upcoming studio album and went back to their roots, reinterpreting past material and rediscovering the singer-songwriter spirit that has long informed their trademark sing-a-longs.

Quitting You, the only new song on the album, was inspired by the togetherness of this special project and is about finding comfort in the people closest to you. Campfire Chords marks the band’s first full-length presentation of this side of their music.

"We've never had time to make an 'acoustic record' because we were too busy playing shows and focusing on new music. But we also knew that they felt really good to play in a stripped back way. All of our big rock 'n' roll songs start with an acoustic or piano, so heading back to that place isn’t too much of a stretch. We wanted a healthy mix of our bigger songs and deep cuts. Songs that would be fun to listen to around the campfire, or in your backyard, or at a park. In 2020, we've mostly been playing for each other, but Campfire Chords is an opportunity to stay connected with our fans until we can see them in real-life again soon" commented Arkells frontman Max Kerman.

Stream Campfire Chords in full via your preferred streaming platform now.

Watch the official music video for Quitting You, as well, clicking on the image

ARKELLS call for connection on brand new album Tuesday, 30 October 2018 21:18 by madseason
Arkells - Relentless

Canadian indie pop-rockers Arkells released their new, fifth studio album, last October 19 via Last Gang Records - Universal Music Canada.

Titled Rally Cry, it was produced by JUNO Award winning producer Eric Ratz (Big Wreck, Billy Talent, The Tea Party), mixed by legendary sound-wiz Mark Needham (Blue October, The Killers, Imagine Dragons) and mastered by veteran mastering engineer Greg Calbi (John Mayer, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan).

"We made Rally Cry in the midst of touring our last record, with our live show fresh in our minds each time we entered the studio" guitarist Mike DeAngelis said. "On Rally Cry, there's an urgency to recording these songs and hearing them back. It's our sharpest and most concentrated effort yet," frontman Max Kerman added. "Rally Cry is the idea of a communal heart, a connected spirit. Whether it's political songs or love songs, they share the same starting place."

Official statements aside, Rally Cry is another top notch effort showcasing a superior songwriting skill: how many acts out there can write modern-dressed, '70s influenced pop-rock songs with meaningful lyrics of this level?

So stop reading and start listining to Rally Cry: download/stream the album and check the video for the latest single Relentless clicking on the image.

Arkells - Drake's Dad

Morning Report is the title of Canadian band Arkells' new album, the fourth for the canuck poprockers. The record was released last Friday, August 5, via Last Gang Records, with the distribution handled by Universal Music Canada.

Morning Report was produced by Joe Chiccarelli (Alanis Morissette, The Strokes, My Morning Jacket), Tony Hoffer (Andrew McMahon, Beck, M83), Brian West (Sia, AWOLNATION, Paper Tongues) and Gus van Go (The Stills, Wintersleep, Royal Tusk). It's a feel-good album of polished pop-rock tunes with some soul, '70s pop rock and '80s synth influences that may appeal to fans of OneRepublic, The Script, The 1975.

Watch the video for the first single Private School here and the one for the brand new single Drake's Dad clicking on the image, and stream the new, amazing album on Spotify.

It's High Noon for ARKELLS Friday, 22 August 2014 18:30 by madseason
Arkells - High Noon

"High Noon" is the third full-length opus by Canadian rock band Arkells. The album was recorded in Hamilton, ON, in the fall of 2013 with Tony Hoffer (The Kooks, Supergrass, Beck, M83) and released two weeks ago via Universal Music Canada, while the international release is handled by Dine Alone Records.

"If we have any regrets, it's rarely from trying something new. The shit that keeps me up at night are the things I wish I had done, and rarely the thing I tried and failed at" the Canadians say "As a result, "High Noon" is our most confrontational record yet. We didn't want to leave much on the table."

Watch the video for the first single from the record, "Come To Light" (here in a nice acoustic version from the National Post Sessions) and stream the new, amazing album on Spotify now: if you dig catchy indie/synth rock influenced by the 70's/80's pop rock of The Cars, Hall & Oates, E.L.O. and Billy Joel, "High Noon" is a record for you.