Arkells have been doing their best to stay busy since hunkering down during the pandemic, but the beloved Canadian indie group are now hitting us with a new full-length album. Called Campfire Chords, the record will arrive on August 20 via UMC, but right now, you can already hear the album's first single "Quitting You."
Campfire Chords isn't an entirely new album, however, but rather a stripped-back collection of the band's most beloved songs. As a press release explains, Arkells hit the pause button on their new studio album to instead revisit their past work, effectively "rediscovering the singer-songwriter spirit that has long informed their trademark singalongs."
For a taste of that, you can watch a video for the record's newly shared "Quitting You." The clip was self-shot by band frontman Max Kerman in one take on an iPhone 11 Pro. Watch the video below.
Shedding more light on the upcoming album, Arkells shared the following statement:
While Arkells were knee-deep working on their next studio album, the quarantine forced them to take four months physically apart — the longest they'd ever spent off the road. This pause did not slow them down; but rather presented a new path.
Amidst the uncertain backdrop of 2020, Arkells took a heel turn and went back to their roots, reimagining versions of their most beloved songs for a new project. From their bedrooms, Arkells began to reinterpret past material for a new project, thematically titled Campfire Chords, and rediscover the singer-songwriter spirit that has long informed their trademark singalongs.
These remote sessions inspired their latest single, "Quitting You" — an intimate song about finding comfort in the people closest to you.
The vulnerable arrangements heard in Campfire Chords marks the band's first full-length presentation of this side of their music. "Does it pass the campfire test?" is a question the band often asks themselves while working on new music. If a song can be stripped to its core and be sung around a campfire, "then we know we're on our way."
While we haven't had concerts lately, we still have music in the kitchen, parks, backyards, docks, and campfires. With songs about the essentials in life — love, friendship, community, and optimism — Arkells' Campfire Chords will feel like an old friend, here to keep you company.
Campfire Chords:
1. Knocking At The Door
2. Quitting You
3. Years In The Making
4. Whistleblower
5. Michigan Left
6. I'm Not The Sun
7. Don't Be A Stranger
8. Come To Light
9. A Little Rain (A Song For Pete)
10. Eyes On The Prize
11. Book Club
12. And Then Some
13. Kiss Cam
14. My Heart's Always Yours
15. Hand Me Downs
16. 11:11
17. Relentless
18. Leather Jacket
19. Take Me Home (Outro)
Campfire Chords isn't an entirely new album, however, but rather a stripped-back collection of the band's most beloved songs. As a press release explains, Arkells hit the pause button on their new studio album to instead revisit their past work, effectively "rediscovering the singer-songwriter spirit that has long informed their trademark singalongs."
For a taste of that, you can watch a video for the record's newly shared "Quitting You." The clip was self-shot by band frontman Max Kerman in one take on an iPhone 11 Pro. Watch the video below.
Shedding more light on the upcoming album, Arkells shared the following statement:
While Arkells were knee-deep working on their next studio album, the quarantine forced them to take four months physically apart — the longest they'd ever spent off the road. This pause did not slow them down; but rather presented a new path.
Amidst the uncertain backdrop of 2020, Arkells took a heel turn and went back to their roots, reimagining versions of their most beloved songs for a new project. From their bedrooms, Arkells began to reinterpret past material for a new project, thematically titled Campfire Chords, and rediscover the singer-songwriter spirit that has long informed their trademark singalongs.
These remote sessions inspired their latest single, "Quitting You" — an intimate song about finding comfort in the people closest to you.
The vulnerable arrangements heard in Campfire Chords marks the band's first full-length presentation of this side of their music. "Does it pass the campfire test?" is a question the band often asks themselves while working on new music. If a song can be stripped to its core and be sung around a campfire, "then we know we're on our way."
While we haven't had concerts lately, we still have music in the kitchen, parks, backyards, docks, and campfires. With songs about the essentials in life — love, friendship, community, and optimism — Arkells' Campfire Chords will feel like an old friend, here to keep you company.
Campfire Chords:
1. Knocking At The Door
2. Quitting You
3. Years In The Making
4. Whistleblower
5. Michigan Left
6. I'm Not The Sun
7. Don't Be A Stranger
8. Come To Light
9. A Little Rain (A Song For Pete)
10. Eyes On The Prize
11. Book Club
12. And Then Some
13. Kiss Cam
14. My Heart's Always Yours
15. Hand Me Downs
16. 11:11
17. Relentless
18. Leather Jacket
19. Take Me Home (Outro)
