Arm’s Length is a band whose music speaks to the complex range of human emotion present in each one of us, and their newest album There’s A Whole World Out There is certainly no exception. In the 46-minute runtime of this album, and in the process of writing about it after, I was able to sit with its lyrics and the way that the album as a whole made me feel. Amongst the overarching themes of loss and longing, I felt seen.
Album opener, “The World” sonically picks up right where Never Before Seen, Never Again Found leaves off. The soft, delicate introduction leads into a soaring melody that has become a staple for this band, and it works every time. In an interview with Brooklyn Vegan, the band mentioned that they’ve pulled inspiration from another band called Counterparts, and I can 100% hear it in the guitar in this song in particular. Both bands have made names for themselves in their respective scenes with emotionally powerful lyrics so the pulls for inspiration make sense.
“Fatal Flaw” might be my personal stand out song on this album. The lyrics resonated with me on such a high level, especially the line, “Romanticise the past for fucking once/ Know your youngеr self would be so proud/ But you’re nothing likе them now.” The lyrics read like vocalist Allen Steinberg is trying to get himself or even someone he cares about to realize how far they’ve come in their lives, all the while recognizing flaws but not being beholden to them. I feel like that’s something that everyone needs to hear from time to time. Thinking about the lyrics to this song for too long makes my heart hurt, even with its message encased in this upbeat, fun to listen to track.
“Funny Face” was the first single released for this album roll out and right out of the gate Arms’s Length hit us yet again with their standout ability to produce raw, emotionally relatable music. This song makes you think hard about how keeping yourself in a less than ideal relationship especially with a family member takes its toll, whether we want to admit it or not. It’s extremely vulnerable and straight to the point. Especially through the song’s final line, “I convinced myself it’s quality time/ When I’m shaving years off my life and/ You let me.”
“The Weight” is arguably one of the hardest hitting songs on the album, content wise specifically. With extremely raw, cutting lyrics referencing eating disorders, it’s a heavy listen, wrapped in an upbeat pop punk package with an energetic, easy to listen to bow on top. Arm’s Length stays the blueprint in this scene for happy sounding music with devastating lyrics, and this whole album just cranked the dial a little higher.
“Palinopsia” is a visual condition that manifests in a multitude of ways but more often than not it causes you to continue to see images even after the original source of stimulus is gone. Which brings the first line of this song into crystal clear focus, “I stared at you so long your silhouette’s burned on my corneas.” This song has so much reverence for the past that it’s almost a detriment for the present day. This song mixes elements of something much softer and acoustic with the soaring choruses that have become commonplace for this band. The way this track is orchestrated just adds to its theme of reverence for the past and that what once was will fade away, no matter how hard we try to keep seeing it in our memory.
Being a fan of this band, I’m not new to the way their lyrics play with themes of self deprecation and hopelessness, but “The Wound” put it out there with no subtext. Which is what makes it such a gut wrenching song as someone who also experiences those emotions. I think that’s what makes Arm’s Length such a powerful and relatable group. They aren’t afraid to write songs that other artists might shy away from because they’re “too sad.” The sheer hopelessness of the line “And when I swear on my life/ We both know that the stakes aren’t high” is a great example of that. This song is tinged with hope for a more positive future which adds a whole new level of complexity to its lyrics that is really interesting to think about deeper than surface level. The more I listened to it the more it cemented its place as one of the more stand out songs on this track list.
“You Ominously End” is such a juxtaposition of a song. The banjos and slight country twang in the instrumentals are a canvas for exceptionally DARK lyrics. But fans of this band have come to expect this contrast, and welcome it with open ears. This song tells a story about a person who is the friend and confidant of someone who is struggling deeply with their mental health and how it’s hard to hold that role for someone while balancing your own mental well being. Accepting that no matter how good of a friend you are and how much you care about someone, there will come a day when they just can’t keep going is such a heavy weight that was written about so elegantly in this song.
“Early Onset” is a mid tracklist slow down. Orchestrated beautifully with acoustic guitar and strings, it makes for a sonically beautiful, self-reflective piece that explores themes of self-sabotage and escapism for the sake of protecting oneself. The lyrics “Can’t stay in one spot, no dream destination/ Is it self-sabotage or self-preservation?” speak to the fear of leaving your present situation whether it’s to your own detriment or for your own self-perceived safety, and I feel like that’s an emotional argument that everyone has with themselves at some point in their lives.
“Genetic Lottery” feels like what happens when you take off the rose colored glasses that you look at your childhood through and realize it was so much more bittersweet and turbulent than you realized before. Musically it feels warm and fuzzy like any song about nostalgia should feel, which makes the contrast with its lyrics even more interesting.
Attics are normally a dark, dusty place where we store things we don’t particularly care to remember, and that sentiment carries over into “Attic.” I fully perceive this song to be talking about how hard it is to let someone in and let them love you when you don’t think you deserve it. I really enjoy this song and the metaphor it presents: “We couldn’t be more different/ You are ripe where I still rot.” This hammers home the message of the whole song in a straightforward way that makes this track and its lyrics so easy to connect with.
“Halley” brings the same energy as “You Ominously End” in the way that this song has no right to sound so upbeat and happy and have its lyrics be as tragic as they are. The subject of this song burns bright but not for long enough. It deals with not wanting to be a burden to the people who care about you, all the while the people who care about you just want to help you.
“Morning Person” starts with such a beautiful, wistful guitar you can hear building throughout the entire first verse into its powerful chorus. Each time this structure repeats itself in this song, it works just as well and is equally as enjoyable to listen to, which is important for a seven minute song. Musically, this finale brings back elements from previous songs as a way to reflect on the journey to the album’s end, which is a beautiful way to pay homage to the tracklist. Lyrically this song is like an exhale when you realize you’ve been holding your breath for too long. You’ve listened to the whole album and connected with its themes and its pain and “Morning Person” is the resolution. Once you accept that the damage is done, you can move on and be cautiously hopeful again. There are moments of hopefulness sprinkled throughout There’s A Whole World Out There, and they shine just as bright as the darker themes, and this song is a perfect example.
Arm’s Length lets their audience sit in their discomfort, shows reverence for moments past and the grief of personal loss and never ending longing, all the while providing a soundtrack to those feelings, reinforcing that they aren’t singular experiences. Everyone feels them, but maybe you don’t have to feel them all by yourself. Never Before Seen, Never Again Found, is one of the 2020’s best albums in the genre, so my expectations of There’s A Whole World Out There were set extremely high. This album lives up to its predecessor completely, all the while adding in fresh new elements that show how Arm’s Length is growing as a band.
There’s A Whole World Out There was released on May 16th, 2025. You can stream it on Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. For updates on Arm’s Length, follow their website: https://armslength.shop/
