"Future Hearts" by All Time Low album review

It's crazy to think that I wasn't an All Time Low fan a few years back, especially given how big of a fan I am now; not because I didn't like them back then - no, definitely not that, as I knew about the likes of Weightless and Dear Maria, Count Me In, and I loved those songs - but just because I hadn't properly discovered them yet. I could say the same thing about many other pop-rock or pop-punk bands I've since come to love - like Yellowcard, We Are The In Crowd, Forever The Sickest Kids, etc. - and in the time that passed between not truly knowing All Time Low and absolutely loving them to bits, I've come to find out that it was certainly my loss for not knowing this infectious, melodic, amazing band!

My first few listens of their new album, Future Hearts, were on the Hopeless Records YouTube channel, as there was a stream on there a little while before the album was released and I got my physical copy (I may be in the minority, but I still love owning CD's of all my favourite bands, for the improved sound quality, artwork, lyrics, etc.), and the album impressed me on my very first listen. Unfortunately not in the way that Nothing Personal did when my ears first had the pleasure of hearing that groundbreaking album, but, in my opinon, that's one of the best pop-punk albums of the last decade! For me, the first half of the album - especially tracks 2 through 7, Kicking & Screaming to Cinderblock Garden - is better than the latter half of the album, and it starts off with an atmospheric, slow-paced intro track, Satellite, before firing into one of the best tracks on the album, Kicking & Screaming. The song starts with a "1, 2, 3, 4" and ferocious, fast-paced guitars in what is one of the heavier tracks on the album, and a song where you will be singing the pre-chorus and chorus after the very first listen. The song also has one of ATL's best guitar solos to date (I still think A Love Like War may just be the best, though), before amazing drums launch the song into the final chorus. This song is actually my current ringtone, and I feel it would of made for a brilliant comeback single, but I understand why ATL didn't choose it: it sounds like ATL of the past, old-school pop-punk, and not the new sound that they wanted to show off from Future Hearts.

That's where Something's Gotta Give comes in: a mid-tempo pop-rock song that sounds a little bit different to the usual. It's all about doubting yourself, feeling like you're a waste of a life, made some bad decisions in life, but then saying, "Something's got to give! With the help of others, I can make it out of this slump and live my life better." That's how I see this song. It's certainly not my favourite from the album, but it's not the worst, either. The chorus is quite catchy, there's a good underlying guitar riff, the lyrics are great - as they are throughout the album, as this really is their best album lyrically - and credit to Alex Gaskarth for that stunning last note! The next song on the album, Kids In The Dark, is a real anthem, and already a favourite amongst fans, and it's easy to see why. The song starts with a brilliant guitar riff, and the verses have a real swagger about them, before getting to the fantastic, sing-a-long chorus - especially the "heys".

The brilliant Runaways has a beautiful pre-chorus with amazing lyrics - "We're going down this road, with tears in our rear view mirror. Far from home, but in the dark you'll know, with me you've got nothing to fear" - as well as a bridge that builds brilliantly, as the vocals and drums get fiercer, before a gorgeously tranquil section leads back into the chorus via a couple of drum beats. Next comes the absolutely stunning Missing You (link to this song above this paragraph, but if you're viewing this blog on, say, a phone - meaning videos don't appear - here's a direct link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfhbVUTZn7A), a song which hit me hard the very first time I heard it. I believe it is easily All Time Low's most stunning song ever; I'm not saying it's their utmost best, but in terms of lyrics and music, it shows an incredible level of maturity, as well as showing the significant growth that ATL have gone through. It's a song that I feel a lot of fans will relate to, and a song with such a strong melody and powerful lyrics - about depression and suicide, and how you'd miss out if you killed yourself, and how people would miss you - that I feel it has the ability to bring people to tears, especially if seen performed live. Alex's main vocals are stunning, there's brilliant backing vocals ("ooooooh, woooah"), the bridge is tremendous (fans will definitely sing this every time they hear the song!), and it's definitely my favourite track on the whole album (the lyrics to this song are so good that I've posted them at the bottom of this blog); it's music at its most enchanting and best.

Cinderblock Garden - a song about believing you can make a relationship work forever, if you fight through the hard times - starts off with some great chanting and has one of the catchiest choruses on the whole album, as well as an exquisite bridge, but after this the album sadly starts to dip in quality, albeit still with moments of quality, like: the grandiose climax to Tidal Waves; most of Old Scars / Future Hearts, especially the pre-chorus and chorus; and the change of pace for The Edge Of Tonight. But the best song on the rest of the album is Dancing With A Wolf, which again sounds like progression by ATL, and a step in a new direction whilst still managing to sound like them. The song has a real groove about it, making you want to dance along, and it's just insanely catchy! The title is a reference to one of Aesop's fables, "The Boy Who Cried Wolf", with the lyrics being about how there is no love for liars. Sadly, Don't You Go and Bail Me Out don't do much for me; neither are bad songs by any stretch of the imagination, but they just fail to grab me in any exciting way.

Future Hearts is a great album from start to finish, with the occasional dip here, and moments of genius elsewhere. It's not as consistently amazing as Nothing Personal, and it can't quite match up to some of ATL's earlier work, but it is the best thing they've put out since Nothing Personal. Nothing I've heard recently can match the perfection and beauty of Missing You, the joyous pop-punk of Kicking & Screaming, and the groove of Dancing With A Wolf. This is the best album I've heard in quite a long time, and if this is the sound of where All Time Low are going, count me in for the journey! :) <3

SCORE (out of 10): 9.1

Download these: Kicking & Screaming, Kids In The Dark, Runaways, Missing You, Cinderblock Garden, Dancing With A Wolf (but, to be honest, just buy the whole album!)

The photos that came with my copy of Future Hearts

My physical copy of Future Hearts

Lyrics to Missing You:

I heard that you've been
Self-medicating in the quiet of your room,
Your sweet, suburban tomb.
And if you need a friend,
I'll help you stitch up your wounds.

I heard that you've been
Having some trouble finding your place in the world.
I know how much that hurts,
But if you need a friend
Then please just say the word...

You've come this far,
You're all cleaned up,
You've made a mess again,
There's no more trying,
Time to sort yourself out...

Hold on tight,
This ride is a wild one,
Make no mistake,
The day will come when you can't cover up what you've done,
Now don't lose your fight, kid,
It only takes a little push to pull on through,
With so much left to do;
You'll be missing out, and we'll be missing you.

I heard that you've been
Having some trouble finding your place in the world.
I know how much that hurts,
And if you need a friend
Then please just say the word...

Pre-chorus and chorus

Grit your teeth, pull your hair,
Paint the walls black and scream,
"F**k the world 'cause it's my life,
I'm gonna take it back,"
And never for a second blame yourself.

Hold on tight,
This ride is a wild one,
Make no mistake,
The day will come when you can't cover up what you've done,
(no, you can't cover up)
(one, two, three, four!)

Chorus