All Time Low “Everybody’s Talking” Album Review

Ladies, gentlemen and all those in between, pull up your knee high converse and slide on your rubber wristbands, because tried and true emo cult classics All Time Low are ready to unleash their newest album, “Everyone’s Talking”. Having a career that began in the year I was born, good old ‘03, this quartet has been pumping out pop - punk bangers and selling out arenas world wide like it’s no sweat off their back. Their 2009 record, “Nothing Personal”, was so beloved by little me that my copy of the CD that I bought with my pocket money was basically burnt into my parents CD player. Every album since has consisted of an upward evolution and exploration of their sound, which they distinguished many years ago and yet still find so many fun ways to gift us new tunes to blast in our earphones.

So without further ado - let’s get into this.

“Cold Open” sets us up for what’s to come off of this 15 track record, a bittersweet acoustic track that only lasts a minute, with humble yet sorrowful lyrics like “A range of emotions, all the places we’ll go / Will it end happy, or tragic? Just sit back and enjoy the show”. I love a little pre-disposition, it immediately creates a narrative and lowers the walls between the band and the listener. Before the serenity can mellow too much, the glitchy, upbeat intro to “Everyone’s Talking” chimes in. The song elaborates a unique kind of isolation from the perspective of the band handling controversy and headlines, with gritty vocals from Gaskarth and an unrelenting tempo that contradicts the nature of the lyrics, it’s a fantastic start to the album.

“Suckerpunch” is so fantastically groovy and catchy, I’m in awe of how great the vocals translate with this sound for them, and all through the duration of the song I found myself bouncing along in time with the beat. The next few tracks follow this same tempo - upbeat yet devastating. A standout for me was “The Weather”, a glittery post break up song that boasts a gorgeous guitar solo. So many of the lyrics feel very personal, on a self aware scale, mentioning not to “ask about the band”. It’s something I really enjoy as it feels like these tracks were made to get feelings off of the band's chest, rather than to write words for an audience, and as a listener you get a much more intimate experience.

”Goodnight, C’este La Vie” acts as a transition of sorts, another subtle and short acoustic track that steers itself into an other worldly, tragic love story of a young couple. It plays into what I love most about this band's running thematics, shitty surbabia that we romanticise because it’s all we know. This song might actually be up there as one of my favourites, despite its brief appearance, it paints such a melancholic nostalgia with a dark twist before sparking back into the candy-sweet tune “Bubblegum”.

The second half of the album boasts more remarkable lyricism and polished instrumentals, from the bridge of “Tread Water” being an emotional pinnacle to “Cigarettes & Sabotage”’s replay-ibility. It was hard not to bop my head along to these tracks, but they certainly saved the best for last. “Butterflies” leans into a classic emo anthem layout, soaring guitars and probably my favourite line on the album - “It’s how you go, and now you’re choking for some discount Jesus Christ to come and save yourself”. The record wraps itself up in a full circle, the final chorus had me itching to jump up from writing this review and dance around my room.

I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for this band, listening to this new album made me want to try and squeeze back into my black, ripped skinny jeans and scribble lyrics on my Converse with a blunt sharpie. I can guarantee that if you are a die hard fan, or even new to the game, you will love this album and will find a gem on it that will stay on your playlist forever.