Armlock, the Melbourne indie rock duo of Simon Lam (also of Kllo) and Hamish Mitchell, have just released their sophomore album and first for Run For Cover, Seashell Angel Lucky Charm, following their 2021 debut LP Trust. Powered by chilled-out beats, snaking clean guitar lines, and Simon’s hushed vocals, it’s a breezy indie rock record that takes influence from stuff like Pinback and Alex G (and also, I might add, scratches a similar itch as that new This Is Lorelei album). You can stream it below, and for a deeper dive, Simon and Hamish have given us a track-by-track breakdown and you can read what they had to say below.
Armlock are also opening one of Slow Pulp‘s two Webster Hall shows in NYC (they play November 15 with Full Body 2), and then they open part of Cloud Nothings‘ Here and Nowhere Else 10th anniversary tour. All dates are listed below.
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Track-by-Track Breakdown of Armlock’s Seashell Angel Lucky Charm
1. “Ice Cold”
Simon – This is about getting iced out by a friend. A sudden display of disloyalty that you didn’t see coming. Scanning through memories of conversations to look for a clue of how things turned out the way they did. And then creating distance from this person as a form of self defence.
2. “Fear”
S – This is kind of looking at what a normal life entails, and looking at people around you living a normal life, and feeling that it’s completely insane. Everyone around me is having a meltdown. Wealth is seemingly everywhere and is a prerequisite to normal life. And being scared of what I have to do to have a normal life.
Hamish – Interestingly enough the song was started over a zoom writing session during one of the covid lockdowns in Melbourne. When compared to the rest of the songs that are usually started with a bare bone demo or more likely just a voice memo, Fear has a somewhat more unique inception story. Although the backdrop seems kind of dramatic the song conceptually is much more concerned with a kind of mundane fear and anxiety you experience when comparing your life to others that’s seemingly more grounded and secure.
3. “Guardian”
S – This is about desperately looking for a guiding grace. It’s kind of like a fever dream of hearing angelic voices and seeing a higher power in everyday events. Speaking the language of the angels in your sleep.
H – This is the oldest song on the record. We wrote it at the same time or immediately after our first record Trust. Definitely served as the anchor point and northstar for this record. As such it felt fitting that the lyric ‘Seashell Angel Lucky Charm’ from this song would become the name of the record.
4. “El Oh Vee Ee”
S – This is about real love and the relentless nature of retaining it. The everyday grind that keeps love alive. Working, typical meet-ups with mutual friends and family.
H – This song went through a few different versions acoustic, slower, faster etc etc. But I think it pretty much wound up identical to the first version we did which seems to be a recurring pattern.
5. “Seashell Angel Lucky Charm”
S – This is just a collage of a bunch of AI voices saying armlock.
H – And then the guitar underneath is of Simon figuring out how to use the cheapest Flanger I bought for him as a birthday present.
6. “Godsend”
S – This is about trying to live up to expectations as a partner and not wanting to waste the opportunity that’s in front of you.
7. “Fair”
S – This is about respecting boundaries in a relationship, and pulling back before something unrepairable eventuates
Armlock — 2024 Tour Dates
11/5-10 London, UK @ Pitchfork London
11/15 New York, NY @ Webster Hall ^
11/21 Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon *
11/23 Las Vegas, NV @ Sinwave *
11/25 Denver, CO @ Bluebird *
11/26 Fort Collins, CO @ Aggie Theater *
11/29 Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St Entry *
11/30 Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle *
12/01 Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle *
* w/ Cloud Nothings
^ w/ Slow Pulp and Full Body 2