That idea, presence over projection, runs through Between Us. It’s an album preoccupied with connection: between bandmates, between audiences, between ideals and reality. Songs like “What Good” and “Money” don’t arrive with slogans or solutions. Instead, they ask questions out loud. About greed. About power. About what it means to move through the world with intention when everything feels loud and fractured. “We didn’t want to shy away from the stuff that’s sitting heavy,” Max explains. “Music has always been where we process things that don’t translate well online.”

That processing happens collectively. Arkells recorded the album as a true band record. Written together in a room, rehearsed relentlessly, then captured with Grammy-winning producer John Congleton. Working with Congleton in Los Angeles sharpened their instincts rather than overriding them. “He works fast, but he listens,” Max says. “He pushes you just enough without ever stepping on what makes you sound like you.”

That trust opened the door for collaboration. Between Us features voices from Grouplove, Poolside, and Portugal. The Man,  artists Arkells admire and have shared stages with over the years. The decision wasn’t strategic so much as intuitive. “Sometimes you just hear a song and think, ‘This could sound better with another voice,’” Max says. “There’s a chemistry that happens when voices meet in a way people don’t expect. It reminds you why collaboration is exciting in the first place.”

The album’s visual identity mirrors that sense of shared energy. Shot by photographer Pelle Cass atop Jackson Square in downtown Hamilton, the cover places the band front and center, multiplied into a single frame that almost feels kinetic. It’s a nod to their beginnings and a quiet flex of hometown pride. “We didn’t want a massive crowd,” Max says. “We wanted the band to feel like the whole world at that moment.”

That intimacy is carrying through to the stage. Before heading overseas, Arkells are previewing the Between Us era in smaller rooms through Kingston and Oshawa, spaces that prioritize eye contact over spectacle. It’s a deliberate recalibration. “You can’t just keep doing the same show forever,” Max says. “Not for the fans, and definitely not for yourself. If it starts to feel automatic, you’re missing the point.”

That philosophy extends to Arkells’ famously inclusive live environment. Long before “community” became an industry buzzword, the band built their shows around the idea that everyone belongs. As their audience grows globally, that ethos hasn’t shifted. “People come to music looking for connection,” Max says. “Sometimes it’s joy, sometimes it’s comfort, sometimes it’s survival. We’re looking for that too.”

It’s why playing hometown stages still hits differently. With a Juno Awards performance in Hamilton and recent massive moments like Tim Hortons Field behind them, Arkells are navigating scale without losing perspective. “The reward isn’t the invite,” Max reflects. “It’s the work, figuring out how to make something meaningful, how to give people a moment they’ll remember.”

That work ethic has carried Arkells through genre shifts, lineup growth, and nearly two decades together. From indie rock roots to soul-inflected grooves, horns, and modern pop ambition, they’ve never confined themselves to one lane. “If we’re excited, you can hear it,” Max says simply. 

As the band looks ahead, the focus isn’t just on new music, but on redefining the live experience itself, making shows more immersive, more intentional, more alive. “We don’t want it to feel like you’re watching something,” Max says. “We want it to feel like you’re part of it.”

Before signing off, Max offers advice that feels less like industry wisdom and more like a personal mantra: “Move enthusiastically toward whatever excites you. If you do that, you won’t get stuck.” It’s the same principle guiding Between Us—an album rooted in presence, propelled by curiosity, and held together by the quiet power of showing up.

For Arkells, the space between past and future isn’t something to fear. It’s where everything meaningful happens.

Photographer: Nathan Nash