Arm’s Length - There’s a Whole World Out There

‘Never Before Seen, Never Again Found’ was the sleeper emo/punk hit of 2022, putting Canadian emo punks Arm’s Length firmly on the map and catapulting them into a much wider arena than they could have ever possibly imagined.

However, if there’s any sense of pressure on follow-up ‘There’s a Whole World Out There’, it doesn’t show. In short, it’s a blistering, brilliant and bold follow-up, which builds on the group’s debut full-length in every way.

What’s most notable is the sincerity and openness with which Allen Steinberg and Co. attack things. Notions of self-awareness is a running theme throughout the tracks, and that’s almost certainly not a coincidence given their huge jump in profile. Write what you know, as they say, and being true to this philosophy has allowed Arm’s Length to reap the rewards while stretching themselves musically.

At its most anthemic, ‘There’s a Whole World Out There’ bears a passing resemblance to new labelmates Spanish Love Songs. This is partly due to Steinberg’s impassioned vocals which sound a little like SLS’s Dylan Slocum at points, but such comparisons are ultimately superficial; the headlong charges into melodic hardcore on ‘You Ominously End’ and the rich orchestration that punctuates the record all help ensure it’s an entirely different beast. Equally, the sensitive moments – ‘Early Onset’ in particular is astonishingly heartfelt – show that for all the bombast and punk chops, Arm’s Length are still at their best when they hit you with the feels, and they have the nous and character to make these moments land effortlessly.

They’re also masters of suspense, saving the very best to last. Closing salvo ‘Halley’ and the nearly seven-minute opus ‘Morning Person’ are truly captivating; the former a crushing and intense prelude to the majesty of the latter. There won’t be many finer closing moments to an album this year, that’s for sure.

No doubt there’ll be some sort of backlash; when beloved punk bands reach for the skies, certain parts of the audience can’t wait to clip a wing or two – but Arm’s Length have delivered an album that will carry them to even greater heights. It deserves to soar.