Arm's Length Celebrates Sophomore Album And Label Signing Announcement With Pessimistic "Funny Face" | THE NOISE


Ontario emos Arm's Length have a lot of things to celebrate! Not only have they signed with Pure Noise Records for the next chapter of their artistic journey, but they have also announced their second album, There's A Whole World Out There, out May 16th. In celebration of this good news, the quartet has shared their lead single from the record, "Funny Face," which explores how pessimism from a loved one can mold one's overall outlook on life in the long run.

The track exudes the same kind of raw vulnerability fans have come to love and expect from the band. Instrumentally, it starts on high with crashing percussion, throbbing bass, and thrashing guitar riffs. Lyricist/vocalist and guitarist Allen Steinberg croons in the first verse, "I used to run, and you told me to hurry up/ I think I finally stopped smelling the roses/ Tough to sleep without noise/ Preferably, it'd be your voice/ Who taught you to be so softly spoken."

As the hook comes crashing in with raw, scream-tinged vocals and intensifying instrumentals, he reflects on his vulnerability and how lucky he is to be living, describing it as "A miracle but not heaven sent/ More like a freak accident." Steinberg details everything he does for his loved one, saying he'd take care of them every night if he could, not being honest that their relationship is shaving years off his life.

"'Funny Face' is about how discouragement from a trusted loved one can shape who you are as a person and your overall outlook on life," says Steinberg. "It's one of our darkest, heaviest tracks. Lyrically, I wanted to illustrate the narrative of being entangled in a toxic codependent relationship, whether romantic or familial. It's a straightforward, desperate sounding song, sonically and lyrically."

The accompanying music video, directed by Alex Scalzo-Brown, opens with an old man tinkering with the piano before looking over a photo album and getting emotional as he reminisces on times gone by. The visual goes back to his youth, following him as he goes to a friend's show and gets kicked in the face by an overzealous mosher. As the friend helps him back to their apartment, it's revealed that they are quietly struggling with their own health.

Building on the emotional rawness and introspection of their debut, Never Before Seen, Never Again Found, the new album finds the band pushing their boundaries, offering a deeper exploration of personal trauma, love, loss, and the resilience that emerges from navigating life's darkest moments.


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