Arm’s Length on how The Hotelier, Phoebe Bridgers, Bon Iver, Hot Mulligan & more influenced their new LP
The Ontario emo band also discuss how their new album was inspired by Porter Robinson, Pianos Become the Teeth, Counterparts, and more.
“We’re an emo band, thus we rip off our emo contemporaries,” Arm’s Length vocalist Allen Steinberg quips at the end of a video discussion of the influences on the band’s sophomore album There’s a Whole World Out There. He’s being self-deprecating and too humble, but yes, the Ontario emo band scratch a similar itch as The Hotelier, Pianos Become the Teeth, Foxing, Hot Mulligan, and Modern Baseball and they don’t shy away from telling you exactly how those very bands inspired the songwriting on this album. They also talk about how they pull in influence from singer/songwriters like Phoebe Bridgers and Bon Iver, how their melodies take cues from the electropop of Porter Robinson, how they’re informed by fellow Ontario band Counterparts in their heavier moments, and how the new album even has an homage to Allen’s favorite childhood band, Sum 41. There’s a Whole World Out There just might be even better than Arm’s Length’s great 2022 debut album Never Before Seen, Never Again Found, and especially if you’re into the five emo bands mentioned in the second sentence of this paragraph, you should make sure you aren’t sleeping on this.
The album comes out on Friday (5/16) via Pure Noise, so stream it and/or pick up a copy when you can, and head below to watch Allen break down specific influences behind all 12 of its songs.
Arm’s Length are currently on a headlining tour with support from Prince Daddy & the Hyena, Riley!, and Bike Routes, which hits Asbury Park’s Stone Pony on May 22 and Long Island’s Amityville Music Hall on May 23. After that, they’ll play some album release shows with Charmer (whose equally-anticipated new album Downpour arrives next week) and Wakelee, including NYC’s Bowery Ballroom on June 14. You can find the tour posters for both runs below.
