Before Oct. 23, fans could only get the new Arms Aloft album at a concert.

Some artists are so damn humble; they just get up, get out, and get done, forget about hanging on to any kind of hype. It’s left to those of us wandering in creation’s wake to shout their praise. Arms Aloft is one of those bands, and the chorus just keeps getting louder.

When last I spoke with front man Seth Gile, it was March, and the guys had just cut their debut long player, Sawdust City, on the eve of a 53-day tour. “We’ve spent about three of the last six months on the road. We made our way to the Pacific Northwest, and then played our way across Eastern Canada to the East Coast. We headed down the coast to The Fest in Gainesville. It was our fourth year playing there and definitely the best year yet. Our venue was at capacity, and there was a line down the block to see us, totally took us by surprise,” says Gile.

There’s an intellectual heft to the lyrics and the whole of the music is passionate and invigorating.

The only way to get a copy of the album was to make it to a show, but that all changed Oct. 23. “We officially (finally) released Sawdust City and, honestly, it’s a huge weight off our shoulders. It is great to be able to tell people they can now get it anywhere, including iTunes and our Bandcamp site. And it’s available locally at Revival Records and The Local Store,” plugs Gile.

…and what a record it is. Normally, I am not one for the “I told you so,” but following the interview last March, I posted: “Maybe the finest (punk) rock record to emerge from EC? There’s an intellectual heft to the lyrics and the whole of the music is passionate and invigorating.” The rest of the nation is beginning to catch on. Check out the review at punknews.org; a writer gave it 4½ out 5 and called it “the best punk record I’ve heard all year and really the best I’ve heard in quite a few.”

Critical lauding aside, Arms Aloft is characteristically practical come the close of an auspicious year. Gile offers, “We recently released a split with our friends Leagues Apart from the UK. We wrote a new song for it and recorded a cover of The Mountain Goats. In December, we’re playing two make-up shows for the NOFX show we were supposed to play this fall. And we might start writing again pretty quickly.”

Sawdust City is available at The Local Store, Revival Records and iTunes, as well as on ArmsAloft.bandcamp.com.