Release Date: Apr 7, 2015
Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Emo-Pop, Punk-Pop
Record label: Hopeless Records
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Having returned to their indie label roots with 2012's Don't Panic, All Time Low build upon that album's no-nonsense power pop vibe with their equally infectious 2015 effort Future Hearts. Somewhat more ambitious in scope, with a bit more studio polish than Don't Panic, Future Hearts finds All Time Low moving from one catchy, high-energy track to the next. While they handled production duties quite well on Don't Panic, here they reunite with producer John Feldmann, who previously helmed the group's 2011 Interscope swan song, Dirty Work.
Look back even just twelve months and All Time Low were in a much different position. Nice and comfortable, the Maryland four-piece were five albums in and safe in the knowledge that they could pack out decent-sized venues across the UK. It’s the prelude to the release of the band’s sixth album that’s been curious. Upgrading from the Brixton Academies of the world might have felt natural enough, sure, yet even before their latest offering ‘Future Hearts’ landed, the band had not only managed to sell out Wembley Arena, but gave the O2 Arena a go for good measure.
Baltimore quartet All Time Low have attempted to create a memorable collection of pop-rock anthems with their latest LP Future Hearts, and they've done an admirable job. The band's strongest feature is the vocals of Alex Gaskarth, and the album does an exemplary job putting his powerful vocal hooks front and centre. Gaskarth's range is demonstrated on songs like "Kicking and Screaming," in which he fluidly shifts from a warmer, mellow tone in verses to a raspier, grittier voice for the high notes hit near the end of the track.
All Time Low's definitely a major success in terms of sales, grinding out that Hot Topic and Warped Tour appeal and also, having teenyboppers jumping through hoops at their whim and fancy. The demographic they're targeting is lapping them up and no matter your taste, that should be respected. Then again, Falling In Reverse has that same effect.
The announcement that producer John Feldmann would be helming All Time Low’s sixth album was met with intense fan consternation. Would Future Hearts be a 5-Seconds-Of-Summer-by-way-of-Baltimore record? As it turns out, all that hand wringing was for naught; there’s nothing on Future Hearts that even closely resembles 5SOS. If anything, the songs ATL frontman Alex Gaskarth helped pen for their debut sound more like All Time Low than the other way around.
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