Arm's Length
There's A Whole World Out There


3.7
great

Review

by Jack Mancuso EMERITUS
May 19th, 2025 | 43 replies


Release Date: 05/16/2025 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Fun fact Jesper received the promo copy for this album and had to forward it to me

There’s a whole world out there to explore, and it’s eating at Arm’s Length. The Ontario quartet burst onto the scene to laudatory reception with their two foundational EPs and 2022’s Never Before Seen, Never Again Found, and have revealed enhanced songwriting prowess and sophistication on their long anticipated follow-up. Throughout its consistently engaging forty-six minutes, There’s A Whole World Out There frantically tackles issues of identity, romanticizes the past with its head in the clouds, and is cruelly dragged back down to earth by the unstoppable passage of time. While the album’s quality occasionally wavers as one ventures deeper into the tracklist, Arm’s Length’s sophomore effort never fails to be memorable, thanks to thematic juxtaposition, unpredictable song structures, and top-notch performances by each member of the band.

As is par for the course for Arm’s Length, and the genre as a whole, There’s A Whole World Out There’s strongest attribute is how many of its titanic hooks will inevitably get stuck in the listener’s head. From the initial hammer drop of opening track “The World” to the cinematic conclusion of “Morning Person”, Allen Steinberg’s layered vocals and acrobatic melodies never cease to be infectious, and do much of the heavy lifting to elevate merely decent tracks to a position of distinction. While the juxtaposition of jaunty, in-your-face rhythms to soundtrack Steinberg’s despair is a key ingredient of tracks like “Fatal Flaw” and lead single “Funny Face”, tracks like “Palinopsia” slow things down to a crawl to steer things into more overtly emotionally stirring territory with rousing success. Steinberg’s higher register on this track is particularly noteworthy, especially because he manages to keep things clean and opts not to settle into his raspier vocal tones, which remain insufficiently developed to carry the ‘heavier’ sections of the band’s music. Shining examples like “Palinopsia” notwithstanding, the album is truly at its strongest when it locks into the groove of its aforementioned in-your-face happy place. As one wades further into the album, second-half highlights like “Genetic Lottery” and “Halley” stick out like sore thumbs because of their straightforward attitudes and ability to ease up at least 1 to 2% on the melodrama. These faster, more energetic numbers put the talented instrumentalists of Arm’s Length on full display, particularly drummer Jeff Whyte, who carries the band like a planet on his shoulders. Anton DeLost’s exceptional production also shines through in the melodic banjo flourishes that accentuate “Halley”’s larger-than-life guitar tones, a trick that is used to similar effect on “The Wound” and the bait-and-switch that opens “You Ominously End”.

Speaking of “You Ominously End”, this is the moment in which I am sadly obligated to inform the listener of the quality dip that occurs around the album’s midpoint, with this track serving as its harbinger. While the bulk of the record’s unpredictable song structures manage not to hog the spotlight from the rest of the performance on display, “You Ominously End” is loosely structured to the point that it feels rushed, busy, and overwhelming. It’s also the only track on the album to combine each of my personal pet peeves of the Arm’s Length sound, namely Steinberg’s ‘harsher’ vocal stylings, the group’s underdeveloped stripped-down acoustic sound (see “Early Onset” for further evidence of this), and some absolute wet fart lyrics that totally kill the immersion (that first chorus…yikes.) “Early Onset” follows and exhibits the subtlety of a semi truck running over an elementary school class, substituting all attempts at poetic language with the blunt force of the line “You’re the cure for Alzheimer’s / that makes memories appear”. “Genetic Lottery” briefly rockets the listener back into euphoria, only for the plodding “Attic” to follow and make the saving graces of “Halley” and “Morning Person” sound that much sweeter to close the record.

Even in the aftermath of these missteps, There’s A Whole World Out There remains a fresh and enticing listening experience throughout its entirety, and retains its thematic and experiential flow all the way to its closing acoustic meanderings. It is this writer’s opinion that Arm’s Length demonstrate artistic growth and a desire to draw from a deeper well of musical influences on their second LP, and that even the album’s shortcomings are almost charming in a sense. Perhaps this can be attributed to the band’s constant and disarming sincerity, but regardless of its origins, the ability to make the merely adequate into interesting, and the interesting into captivating, is a telltale sign that a band simply has it. Arm’s Length have it, as their newest release proves, and the idea of them continuing to explore the whole world that their sound has to offer is an incredibly exciting prospect.



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user ratings (70)
3.7
great


Comments:Add a Comment 
YoYoMancuso
Emeritus
May 19th 2025


19776 Comments

Album Rating: 3.7

thanks for forwarding that promo, Jesper ; )



That Billy Woods review ended up taking me so long that I'm posting this one a few days late, but I wanted to do both of them justice so tardy it is

Purpl3Spartan
May 19th 2025


9493 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Nice rev beautiful man

LightAndGlass
May 19th 2025


1607 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

I want to like this and the band so much more but their studio stuff is just a little boring to me. I feel like almost every song sounds the same even though they're pretty well-written. I did catch them as an opening act though and they are phenomenal live. Absolutely killed it and their energy was infectious. None of that translates to their recorded material though for me. I'll keep trying though because maybe one day it'll click.

omik1116
May 19th 2025


606 Comments


Have to agree with you that the "heavy" parts of You Ominously End feel very forced. I like the way you put it -- the band is at its best when it stays in the pocket and dishes out huge choruses without any of the forced experimentation.

Only thing I disagree with is your assessment of Attic, I think that's one of my favs here.

Sunnyvale
Emeritus
May 19th 2025


6510 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Agree that this is a bit uneven, could've probably trimmed maybe two songs off for maximum impact. However, I'm usually picky with this kind of pop-punk-y emo and this is one of the best examples of the style that I've heard in a while. Will be coming back to it a lot

DungeonBoy
May 19th 2025


10197 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Awesome to see a review for this, love this band, love this album. Saw them Saturday night and they killed it

JesperL
Emeritus
May 19th 2025


5841 Comments


hahaha you're welcome!!

album is cute but yeah i think i fully agree with rev, good stuff as always yoyo

Uzumaki
May 19th 2025


4837 Comments


Should be getting my vinyl and CD of this in the mail today, hyped.


Happy to see this band getting traction here at Sput

LotionLord
May 20th 2025


222 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Really appreciate you reviewing this. Arm's Length are easily my favorite band to debut this decade and I'm glad they're finally getting some well-deserved staff attention. I'd be surprised if this isn't my aoty. Great write-up as always.

Hawks
Contributing Reviewer
May 20th 2025


107184 Comments


Gotta hear this asap.

ToSmokMuzyki
May 20th 2025


14499 Comments


lotion lord

YoYoMancuso
Emeritus
May 20th 2025


19776 Comments

Album Rating: 3.7

all my homies love lotionlord

Lasssie
May 20th 2025


2740 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Nice review

Really liked their debut so im looking forward to this one for sure. Had no idea they were releasing anything new so this is a pleasant surprise to me

Manatea
Emeritus
May 20th 2025


2255 Comments


Review is fantastic and I’m really digging album

Scoot
May 20th 2025


23510 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

this is great

LightAndGlass
May 20th 2025


1607 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

This is doing nothing for me on a second listen. :/ Can only hear "quiet, soft verse - explode into chorus that sounds like every other chorus on the album" so many times before I mentally check out.

shawncuggy
May 20th 2025


44 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Can’t tell if I like this or their last record more. I find the songwriting on this to be a bit more mature/straightforward with one speed whereas the last record was a little more of a constant stop and go but with more ear worms.

Surprised to see you have issue with You Ominously End. I think that has to be one of the most exciting songs in their discog. Run through a wall one-liner/breakdown.

Lasssie
May 20th 2025


2740 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Like their debut a tad bit more but there are some really standout tracks here. The closer especially

joshieboy
May 21st 2025


8442 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

nice rev, enjoying this

Lasssie
May 21st 2025


2740 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Palinopsia is the one



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