'Future Hearts' is the sixth studio album released by American Pop-Punk band All Time Low.
Who are All Time Low?
All Time Low consists of: Alex Gaskarth (Vocals and Rhythm Guitar), Jack Barakat (Backing Vocals and Lead Guitar), Rian Dawson (Drums) and Zack Merrick (Backing Vocals and Bass Guitar). The band come from Towson in Maryland, Baltimore, though Alex was originally from Essex in England, and Jack from Lebanon. They have been a band since 2003.
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| Weren't they cute? - All Time Low 2003 |
Future Hearts:
This album follows on from their 2012 release 'Don't Panic' which features the songs Backseat Serenade, Somewhere in Neverland and For Baltimore.
Future Hearts was released (in the UK) on 6th April 2015, and features 13 tracks and 2 bonus tracks.
With this album, the boys have brought back the more 'poppier' style of songs like Don't You Go and Runaways, we heard back in 2011 with their major label release - Dirty Work - but have also mixed it up with slower, more meaningful songs like Missing You - about finding your place in the world, and Tidal Waves, featuring Mark Hoppus from Blink-182.
Aside from the singles, Something's Gotta Give and Kids in the Dark, the songs that stand out most to me are Missing You, Cinderblock Garden, and Tidal Waves.
Missing You:
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| Future Hearts Photo shoot - 2015 |
I think this song particularly stands out to me because it is so different to anything ATL have ever wrote,(it even features a Mandolin!) It's catchy, it's heartfelt, it gives me goose bumps and I can't help but smile when I listen to it. The lyrics are full of meaning and to me, they are almost a plea to all of those fans who have suffered from mental health issues like depression or self-harm. "Don't lose your fight kid, it only takes a little push to pull on through" - they are trying to say that life is hard, and it can seem like a wild ride sometimes (and not always in a good way) but that if you hold on and never let go, you'll get through it because you can, because you're strong. Never give up fighting because if you just try then you won't fail. Another lyric that really stands out to me in this song is "I heard that you've been having some trouble finding your place in the world, I know how much that hurts" - In a recent interview with 'Entertainment Weekly' Alex said: "There’s a lot of people out there that we meet that are feeling lost or out of place or not sure where they’re going next." I really think this song embodies this completely, it's all about finding yourself, and your place in the world, and although there will be bad times, and crap moments, it will pass and things will get better, just keep holding on. This is the type of song that I can listen to over and over and never get sick of, because each time you listen, you discover new meaning hidden within the lyrics and that's why it's such a dynamic and spirited song.
Rating: 4.5/5
Cinderblock Garden:
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| Future Hearts Photo shoot - 2015 |
There's something about this song that I can't quite put my finger on... I honestly believe that this is one of the bands best songs to date. It is a catchy, up-tempo, more 'rockier' song than the likes of Missing You with some well placed 'Oh Ohs' and the opportunity for some serious air guitar. "Finding the gold in our darkest moments" - It's about love prevailing in all situations, no matter how hard it gets, if they stay together, they can survive anything! "It's about finding love in a situation which isn't ideal; life can survive all things if you let it. It's a story about a couple who are having to live in a city, when the girl wants a garden. Maybe it's not ideal conditions for this love, but we can make it work." - Alex on Cinderblock Garden, Kerrang.
Rating: 5/5
Tidal Waves ft. Mark Hoppus:
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Mark Hoppus working with ATL on
Tidal Waves - 2015 |
This is probably the slowest song on the record but it is also one of the most metaphorical and beautiful songs too! The fact that Mark Hoppus from Blink is featured makes the song that much more awesome because... well IT'S MARK HOPPUS!! "You sharpen words to use like knives" . This angsty rock number is about how the band feel as though they have come full circle in terms of their career, although they have no plans of stopping any time soon! "It really tied in together to have Mark sing on a track – it felt like we had his blessing." - Alex Gaskarth, Kerrang
Rating: 4/5
Something's Gotta Give:
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| Something's Gotta Give |
"Something's Gotta Give" was the first single released from 'Future Hearts' and had its exclusive first play on the BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show on the 12th January 2015. I know this, not because I have just searched it, but because I remember waking up super early that morning because I was extremely excited to hear the song from the new album, to be told that actually, the song wouldn't be played until around 8am and I could of had an extra 2 hours in bed! Oh well! It was still worth it!! I even used the voice recorder on my phone to record the first ever play of it so that I could keep it forever... cringey huh?
But in all seriousness though, I think this was a great song to release as the first single because it's catchy, has a definitive guitar riff and it is a reminder of the genre that All Time Low do best! "I'm dying to live, something's gotta give" - to me this song is all about struggling to get to where you want to be in life, a struggle that the guys probably went through themselves when trying to become an established band. Alex has said that when he was writing this song, he was in a similar place to where he was when writing weightless and, actually, if you really listen to the lyrics in both songs, you can see that this was the case- both are about wanting to move on to something bigger and better, yet constantly feeling, like you're stuck in a rut.
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"Is there something on my face?"
-Something's Gotta Give |
The music video is awesome. Zombies, French-fry costumes, tonnes of fake blood and gore, how much better can a music video get? Although, if you were like me and, the first time you watched the video was whilst eating your breakfast... well let's just say I lost my appetite for a couple of hours that day!! Here's the link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYeM0nFWcqE
Rating: 4/5
Kids in the Dark:
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| Kids in the Dark |
I particularly like Kids in the Dark because of the awesome riff at the beginning, and as the bass line throughout the song. I think that it fits really well with the story/message that the guys are trying to put across all through the album. "Beautiful Scars on Critical Veins" - in my opinion this is such a beautiful lyric, because it encapsulates so much significance.
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| Epic! |
The video is also really really cool, and I think that it is because of its quite simplistic nature, with the band in what looks to be really just an empty space. But, I also like the idea of the girl escaping from her parents arguments. Being kept "in the dark" is seen as being kept unaware of a situation and I think that the song captures this well. My favourite part of the video has to be the break where the lights blow behind Alex, it's epic! Here's the link
to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaIegdJxTsE
Rating: 4.5/5
Critique:
As I have said, even though this album only came out just over 3 months ago, it quickly became my favourite All Time Low album and one of my overall favourite albums so I find it hard to criticise it! However, there is one song on the album that I am not particularly fond of and that is Dancing with a wolf. Most of the album clicked with me, but for some reason that song just didn't. This doesn't mean to say that I don't like the song, I just prefer the other songs more - It's not a bad song.
Dancing With A Wolf Rating: 2.5/5
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| Future Hearts Photo shoot - 2015 |
With every paragraph I start off I want to say, "this is my favourite song on the album..." but I know I can't do that because as soon as I move onto the next one, it becomes my favourite and I think that's a good way to describe the album as a whole. You find yourself listening to a song thinking this is the one, the perfect song, yet, when the next one begins you think no, maybe this is it, and after a while you come to realise that in fact the entire album is an almost perfect mix of up-tempo, catchy, stereotypically All Time Low songs, with some new and exciting material thrown in, and I think that this is the perfect balance because it targets new and old fans alike.
They fully deserved their number 1's in the UK and the US!
Album Rating:4.5/5
You can buy Future Hearts here: smarturl.it/futurehearts
-X
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