Arm's Length "Never Before Seen, Never Again Found" Album Review
Ontario-based emo rock outfit Arm’s Length’s debut full-length album, Never Before Seen, Never Again Found, cements the group as a soon-to-be staple of the genre. With intricate drum patterns and gritty guitar hooks weaving their way in and out of powerful vocal performances, the album brings waves of intense emotions and themes that are sure to find homes in listeners’ ears, hard-hitting and relatable in ways that will resonate strongly with the greater audience.
Album opener “Overture” begins with somber instrumentation before graduating into a full-band orchestration that transitions into lead single “Object Permanence”, a song that demonstrates an expert dichotomy between energetic instrumentation and somber lyrics tackling deep-rooted themes. This contrast is something that carries through the entirety of the record, with the band frequently framing heavy topics beneath high volume instrumentals, creating a sense of intensity behind each song that strongly conveys each feeling and message presented within. “Formative Age” sees vocalist Allen Steinberg exclaiming “how many times am I told I won’t go through it alone, when there’s nothing I want more?” - an introspective lyrical piece about feeling like a burden to those around. Accented by the heavy and bursting guitars, the song briefly lets up into clean soft sections before jumping back into fierce moments of vigor.
As the album continues on, it maintains a strong and clearly pointed vision, painting a vivid picture and telling sincere stories with each new topic it chooses to tackle. The band are not afraid to touch on heavy topics, with later single “In Loving Memory” speaking about the loss of a loved one. Once more, the band cleverly displays their ability to disguise dark lyrical content with otherwise upbeat instrumentals. Album closer “Dirge” is a five minute long dynamic adventure, weaving the band’s upbeat tendencies in and out of softer and intimate moments before ultimately bringing the record to a very satisfying conclusion with an emotive outro section that brilliantly sums up the record in a single song. Musically, the band demonstrates that they have honed in on the sounds of their influences, while simultaneously pointing themselves in a direction that is sure to be the future standard of emo rock music.
With Never Before Seen, Never Again Found, Arm’s Length prove themselves to be a band that will quickly rise to the top of the emo rock scene, checking all the boxes of what makes bands of their kind great while adding a unique flare and finding an identity and space to occupy of their own. If the band’s busy remainder of 2022 is any indication of what is to come, audiences are sure to be seeing Arm’s Length putting this album in front of as many ears as will listen for the foreseeable future.
9.5/10
