New All Time Low album is mediocre
All Time Low released their newest album, “Future Hearts,” on April 7.
The band was formed in 2003 while still in high school. They have a total of five albums and one EP.
ATL has been one of the biggest names in the pop punk music genre for almost 10 years, with catchy beats, punk rock sound, and angsty lyrics.
The first single released for the album is titled “Something’s Gotta Give.”
It showcases the smooth vocals of Alex Gaskarth and solid bass lines of Zack Merrick, as well as the familiar guitar riffs of Jack Barakat and drum beats by Rian Dawson.
The sound and overall feel of the song is very reminiscent of songs like “Somewhere in Neverland” off of “Don’t Panic” with lyrics like, “I’m dying to live/Something’s gotta give.”
“Kids in the Dark” is the second single and it has a more punk-angst feel than “Something’s Gotta Give.”
It’s a nice anthem for kids who may feel like outcasts, with lyrics such as, “They left us alone, the kids in the dark/To burn out forever, or light up a spark” and “What a shame, what a shame/beautiful scars on critical veins.”
The song brings those kids together with the line, “We’ll never surrender the kids in the dark” and could give them hope.
All of this is put to a catchy tune that’ll have people humming along without even realizing it.
Fourteen days later, the third single, “Runaways” was released. “Runaways” feels a lot like “Something’s Gotta Give” mixed with songs from their 2009 album, “Nothing Personal,” which reached No. 4 on the Billboard 100 in its debut week.
The tune feels like a summer anthem, and I imagine that’s just what it’ll end up being to thousands of listeners around the world.
“Satellite” is the first song on the playlist, and it starts out slow and stays that way for the remainder of the song, until the last 30 seconds where it speeds up. It’s pretty boring overall, because the melody stays the same the entire song.
“Missing You” is another nice, slow song on the record. It’s acoustic and has almost a folky vibe to it.
The lyrics are similar to the song “Lullabies” off of their first EP “Put Up or Shut Up” that was released in 2006.
Both songs deal with the heavy subject of death and the repercussions afterwards, and urge the listener to keep fighting, because life is worth it.
The more upbeat song “Don’t You Go” is also reminiscent of some of the band’s older work, with catchy beats and lyrics that fit happier moods.
The song ends up sounding a lot like songs from the 2007 album “So Wrong, It’s Right.”
The song also sounds like songs from the 2011 album “Dirty Work,” the band’s highest selling record overseas.
“Tidal Waves” had a lot of potential with its featured artist Mark Hoppus, former vocalist for Blink-182, but it was a little disappointing.
It was a generic, slow song and didn’t live up to the hype.
Many of the songs on the album weren’t very remarkable, but overall it was pretty good. It has some good anthems and messages for people going through rough times.
It just would’ve been nice to see them change things up a bit.
I give the album 2.5 out of 4 Grizzly paws.