Arkells surprise released the new single “Handshake Thugs” on November 3, 2026, their first new music since the album Between Us arrived earlier this spring. The Hamilton band timed the Arkells Handshake Thugs release to U.S. midterm Election Day, and the song takes direct aim at people in power who create division while protecting their own interests.
The release lands in the middle of a heavy Canadian run. Arkells are nine-time JUNO Award winners, and their Between Us City Takeover tour plays Saskatoon tonight, November 5, with sold out rooms across the Prairies and Ottawa still to come this month.
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Arkells Handshake Thugs Takes Aim At The Top
Arkells wrote “Handshake Thugs” in early September, then recorded it a few weeks later with producer Gus van Go. The band was eager enough to get it in front of audiences that they worked it into their live sets during their fall UK tour before the studio version was even out.
Frontman Max Kerman explained the thinking behind the song in the release notes reported by Canadian Beats:
We tend to think of thugs as people who steal, cause havoc, and make our lives less safe. But these are largely imagined boogie men. The real thugs sit at the top, make deals for themselves, and eat first, before everyone else. Handshake Thugs is a song for the 99%, inspired by the 1%.
The track continues the themes of connection, accountability and modern life that run through Between Us, an 11-track album produced by John Congleton and carried by the No. 1 singles “Next Summer” and “Money.” Earlier this year the band also teamed with Poolside on the synth-heavy single “What’s On Your Mind,” a preview of the dance-leaning side of the current record.
The City Takeover Format Keeps Selling Out
The City Takeover shows are the live engine behind this era. In each city, Arkells play three different venues over three nights, moving from small rooms to bigger stages, and the format has already sold out in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton.
The November leg is nearly gone. Saskatoon gets Amigos Cantina on November 5, Capitol Music Club on November 6 and Coors Event Centre on November 7, all sold out. Winnipeg follows at Side Stage on November 10 and The Park Theatre on November 11, both sold out, with Burton Cummings Theatre on November 12. Ottawa closes the run at The 27 Club on November 25, The Bronson Centre on November 26 and HISTORY Ottawa on November 27, with the first two already sold out.
A Holiday Finish To A Full Year
After the Takeover dates, Arkells close 2026 with their Sleigh the Night holiday shows: OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls on December 17, then JAG Soundhouse in St. John’s on December 18 and 19, both sold out.
It is a fitting end to the year for a band that also played the NHL Festival at the Finals in Edmonton in June 2025, ahead of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. Nine JUNO Awards in, Arkells are still building records and tours around bringing rooms together, and “Handshake Thugs” gives the current run a sharp new centrepiece.
