It's been a short lifetime since the last Arrivals record, Volatile Molotov, but in many ways the new Payload picks up exactly where the last one left off. It straddles the mid-tempo punk spectrum while drawing influence from seemingly all realms of the rock 'n' roll cannon. I'd state that mod, power-pop, Brit Invasion, and even R&B are some of the primary influences that inspire the unique melodies that define The Arrivals' guitar-driven sound.
In many ways Payload is a tale of two different records and themes: a broken, dystopian social scene that's somehow merged with an album about brotherhood, family and love. It's about awful things and beautiful things -- both existing side-by-side, neither in sync nor in juxtaposition. If there is a phrase for the 2020s so far it's "two things can be true," on display here.
"When It's Gone" is a classic intro Arrivals track that lets you know the band hasn't shifted their style after all these years, but I view the second ("Drill Baby Drill") and third ("Just Like My Brother") songs as establishing the album's true tone. Those songs feature different songwriters and singers, which further reflects the merged tones of the album and reinforces that bond between members.
One new-ish development is how The Arrivals seem to be meeting The Treasure Fleet (who share members). The epic 7-minute "The Wretched of the Earth: Guns, Germs, Steel" is the most obvious example, conceptually, but I also hear their psych rock seeping into the anti-war "Sound of Bombs." It may draw from more expansive soundscapes but they reign it in within poppy-punk structures. I'll hypothesize now that some of these songs began as Treasure Fleet songs and were reworked (effectively) into Arrivals songs. I'll seek that out in an upcoming interview too if you really want my follow-through.
Summing it all up, this is really a full album and not just a collection of singles thrown on shuffle. I enjoy some tracks on here more than others, but Payload is a sum of its parts and it all works in tandem. Sometimes the moods swing back and forth between songs, sometimes it feels cynical and harsh, then alternately touching and downright beautiful. The band has always explored the philosophical reality of human emotion in contrast to an industrial society and that continues here brilliantly. I could share some favorite singles for you to go stream and sample but that isn't the point here. It's about the payload.
