These LA hopefuls made it to the #1 spot on our Songs of 2017 list, so it’s more than necessary to introduce Arms Akimbo as our final “The Year Of” group.
To be completely truthful, Arms Akimbo have had Velvet’s attention ever since they released Michigan back in 2016. If our 2016 song list had any official ranking, Michigan arguably would have secured the #1, so take that into consideration. Focusing largely on a folk/country influenced sound, Arms Akimbo may have never labelled themselves as indie/emo rockers but the underlining tone of early 00’s indie/emo throughout most of their music is one of the many reasons why they have been impossible to beat for the past two years (for Velvet at least).
Their earliest work predates their standout single Michigan, with their 2015 EP Vignettes, available on Bandcamp, hosting a series of punchy college rock tracks that were initially setup for guitarist Chris Kalili’s art thesis, then followed by Little Insensitive almost a year later in 2016, as Arms Akimbo became a fully realised band. Providing the first taste of a much more seasoned sound from the LA four piece, Little Insensitive comes filled to the brim with country charm and blazing summer guitars that would be welcomed across any number of alternative festival stages.
Since then, the L.A. four piece have had a number of releases, most notably their breakout track Michigan, followed by Miscommunication, a delightfully charming country pop track, with previously featured track Parachute and now most recently with Velleity, released in December of last year. Arms Akimbo’s rush of country rock flows through Velleity just as strongly as their previous work, with a steady chord progression tied together with Schrupp’s well seasoned vocals making their country rock flare to be something not to miss.
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