During their first few live shows the band called themselves Charlemagne but changed their name when another band of the same name threatened to sue them. The band is named after Arkell Street in the Westdale neighbourhood of Hamilton,[4] near McMaster University, where they lived and would practice their music. All five original band members attended McMaster where lead singer Max Kerman graduated with an honours BA in Political Science. Kerman met guitarist Mike DeAngelis at a McMaster Welcome Week event where they discovered they had an identical taste in music.[5]
Arkells' debut album Jackson Square was released 28 October 2008 on Dine Alone Records.[6] In late 2008, Arkells toured Canada as opening act for Matt Mays & El Torpedo.[7] Later that year, on November 22, they performed the halftime show at the Vanier Cup in their hometown.[8]
In 2011, the band wrote and recorded their second album Michigan Left, which was released on October 18 of that year. The first single, "Whistleblower", was released on July 5, 2011. The band also released a second song, "Kiss Cam", in July. On 6 October 2011 it was announced that Dan Griffin would be leaving the band to go back to school.[15] He was replaced by Anthony Carone.[15] In 2012, Arkells won the 2012 Juno Award for Group of the Year.[16]
On April 7, 2014, Arkells released the first track, "Never Thought That This Would Happen", from their third album, which was produced by Tony Hoffer (Beck, The Kooks, M83). One month later, on May 13, the band released the album's first single "Come to Light", and confirmed the title of the record would be High Noon. The record was released on Dine Alone/Universal Records, August 5, 2014.[17]
Arkells began teasing new material from their forthcoming album on tour in the spring of 2016. The fourth album, Morning Report, was released on August 5, 2016.[19] The first single, "Private School", debuted on May 6, 2016, and charted at number 1 that summer.[citation needed] The video features cameos from Lights, Dave Monks of Tokyo Police Club and Steve Jocz (formerly of Sum 41), who also directed the video.[20]
DeAngelis (left) and Kerman (right) performing in Edmonton, Alberta in 2018
In February 2018, the band was invited to South Korea to perform for the Canadian Olympic team during the 2018 Winter Olympics.[28] In June 2018, the band played at Tim Hortons Field in their hometown of Hamilton for a crowd of 24,000 people. It was the largest crowd for an outdoor show in Hamilton since Pink Floyd drew 50,000 to Ivor Wynne Stadium in 1975.[29][30] On August 15, 2018, the band announced that their fifth studio album, Rally Cry, would be released on October 19, 2018.[31] On June 23, 2018, Arkells hosted a major hometown concert, dubbed "The Rally", at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ontario. The concert was paired with several events across the city including a market outside the stadium, a bike ride to the show, and featured Ellevator, Bishop Briggs, and Cold War Kids.[32] Arkells released their fifth studio album, Rally Cry, on October 19, 2018, accompanied by a Canadian tour featuring Lord Huron as the opening act. The tour featured the Arkells' largest arena show yet, at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on February 16, 2019.
On February 25, 2020, the band released the new single and video "Years in the Making".[33] On July 30, they released the single "Quitting You", and announced the release of Campfire Chords, a full-length album featuring acoustic versions of earlier songs, on August 20.[34] Each member recorded his part at home during the COVID-19 quarantine and sent it to Carone, who then edited, mixed and produced the pieces into complete songs.
Blink Once and Blink Twice (2021–2022)
On March 25, 2021, the band released the new single and video "You Can Get It", featuring guest vocals by K.Flay.[35] The single was featured in the trailer of the video game Forza Horizon 5, as well as in one of the in-game radio station.[36] The single “All Roads” was later released. Both of these singles were included on the band’s sixth studio album Blink Once, which was released on September 22, 2021.[37] On December 12, 2021, the band performed at the halftime show of the 108th Grey Cup at Tim Horton's Field in Hamilton.[38]
On June 23, 2022, the band announced that their studio album Blink Twice will be released on September 23. The album features collaborations with Cold War Kids, Aly and AJ, Tegan and Sara and Beatrice Martin.[39] After two years of postponements due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the band held the second edition of "The Rally" at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ontario on June 25, 2022. The show featured similar events to the first event in 2018, with a market, bike ride to the show, as well as the unveiling of a collaboration with several organizations to renovate a local basketball court as an effort to improve sport in the community.[40][41] The concert was their largest yet with 27,000 fans in attendance and featured openers Haviah Mighty, K.Flay, and Mt. Joy.[42]
Laundry Pile (2023–present)
On September 21, 2023, the band released their eighth studio album (Campfire Chords excluded) Laundry Pile, featuring pre-released singles "Skin" and "Laundry Pile".[43] The album was written and recorded informally during fall of 2022, without the explicit intention of making an album.[43] The songs take on an acoustic form that stay true to each band member's raw musical identities, often with the first takes recorded making the final cut with little production.[44] To celebrate the release of the record, the band held two free pop-up shows at laundromats in Toronto and Hamilton, where they played individual tracks for small group audiences of fifteen people.[43] The band played the album at their "At Your Service" tour across the United States and Southern Ontario in fall of 2023.[45]
Song influences
Arkells prominently feature political motivations in their music. This includes "Knocking at the Door," which was written about The Women's March on Washington.[46]
The band has also spoken about their diverse musical influences from Top 40 to Motown.[47]
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