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<\/a>As for the surprise single that Arkells recently released, it\u2019s \u201cKnocking at the Door,\u201d <\/i>a non-album cut that showcases the range and ability of the group as musicians. The song features brass horns, gospel-esque backup vocals, and Arkells\u2019 style of blending genres to create their sound, which is a mixture of rock, soul, jazz, hip hop, and pop. Kerman says their new song, although uplifting and positive, actually has some esoteric social undertones to it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wrote it in February, recorded it in March, and released it in April, which is a pretty quick turnaround for running bands, especially in the rock genre,\u201d says Kerman. \u201cThe tune is kind of a call for collective action. It sort of has some social commentary; it\u2019s basically about fighting for what you believe in and being relentless about it. We all hear about injustices that are happening in your community and in the world, and how you don\u2019t want to stand for them, and that\u2019s what the song means for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arkells\u2019 musical influences are quite varied; according to Kerman, they draw inspiration from artists of the past while also picking up on more modern sounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think each record we make is definitely a reflection of what music we are into at that moment,\u201d says Kerman. \u201cOur sound is probably rooted in the stuff we would have heard around the house, like stuff our parents would have had on, like The Beatles, Springsteen, and all that stuff, but we are really big fans of what\u2019s happening in music today; we\u2019re not overly nostalgic for music of the past. We listen to everything from Chance the Rapper to Kanye West. Of course, we love the big heavyweights like Arcade Fire, and we love the band Phoenix. We like a lot of pop music, too. We certainly have a lot of influences throughout the record.\u201d<\/p>\n
The members of Arkells met in Hamilton, Ontario at McMaster University; the name of their band comes from the road on which two of them lived when they were staying at a student house near their school: Arkell Street. Kerman says that while the recent success of the band hasn\u2019t felt overwhelming, it still blows him away when they perform in front of thousands of people.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have always taken everything one step at a time; nothing has ever happened to us so quickly that we didn\u2019t feel prepared for it,\u201d says Kerman.<\/p>\n
The band has gone from performing in front of a dozen people to headlining large shows, such as the upcoming Canada Day celebration here in town, where they will be playing alongside Tegan and Sara, The Funk Hunters, Delhi 2 Dublin, and many others.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first time we played in Victoria there was like 12 people there, and then the next time we came back a year later and there may have been about 100 people there, and then 400 and 800. So our success has always been very incremental, which suits us just fine,\u201d says Kerman. \u201cEverything that we have done so far has just felt like part of a natural evolution, when it comes to making our records and the kinds of shows we put on and any sort of notoriety we might have.\u201d<\/p>\n