The story feels classic. Three friends pick up three instruments and churn out the kind of no-frills rock ‘n’ roll that lasts generations. As the “industry” preoccupies itself with metrics, streams, and data, it just unfortunately doesn’t happen like this anymore…
Thankfully, it did with Arlington. The Southern California trio—Tyler Benko [vocals, guitar], Channing Peake [bass, vocals], and Grant Whitson [drums]—rallied around a pure, passionate, and powerful vision that fuels their full-length debut, A Walk Through Jackson County [Rise Records].
“Our vision was to create a straightforward rock band—guitar, bass, and drums,” affirms Tyler. “That was it. It was a simple setup with simple tones and simple everything. We derived the creativity from our songwriting rather than the gear we were using or any kind of imagery.”
As the story goes, lifelong friends Tyler and Channing slogged it out in local California favorite False Puppet. Following the group’s disbandment, they reached out to Grant who tour managed them on Warped Tour and happened to be a monster behind the drum kit. In 2016, Arlington formally came to life. Inspired by the stripped-down bluesy rock of Jack White, The Strokes, Kings of Leon, and Arctic Monkeys, they spent countless hours writing songs, rehearsing, and developing an inimitable chemistry. After just four shows, early demos landed in the hands of Rise Records who promptly signed the band. They hit the studio with producer Matt Bayles [Pearl Jam, Mastodon, The Sword] to record A Walk Through Jackson County. He added a raw energy to the recording.
“Matt really maintained our honest sound,” adds Channing. “He kept us on our toes and ensured we were playing at our best at all times. We wanted to do something raw, and he was on board. The vibe was great.”
A slippery and sinewy blues riff snakes around the intro of first single “Mud.” The track builds into an overpowering refrain before descending down towards an off-time bridge in 7/4. Right out of the gate, Just Jared praised how it “seamlessly meshes modern riffs with a classic rock vibe.”
“Musically, the post-chorus breaks into this odd time signature,” explains Tyler. “We try to incorporate odd time signatures into straightforward rhythms to do something different. Lyrically, it’s about underperforming sexually. You’re afraid that you’re bad at sex and worried your partner will spread that around.”
Elsewhere, “Hollow Moon” begins with sparse strumming before strutting towards a soulful and slick chant punctuated by punchy rhythms. “Don’t Mind” tempers raucous riffing and gritty crooning that rises and falls with the beat. A convergence of confessional lyricism and airy instrumentation, it conjures up the dusty vibe hinted at in the title A Walk Through Jackson County.
Channing says, “The name felt like a good fit with the Western-style sound.”
“It reflects that cowboy-ish blues sound,” elaborates Tyler. “We grew up on the West Coast. It’s in our blood.”
In the end, the only thing more classic than Arlington’s story is the music.
“When you listen to us, I want you to walk away thinking, ‘That was good fun rock music’,” Tyler leaves off. “It’s a blast to listen to and dance to. It reminds you of something back in the day, but it’s very now.”

Rick Florino