All Time Low Are at an All Time High

 Gab Ginsberg, writing at Billboard about the story behind All Time Low’s smash hit “Monsters:”

Next, ATL and FBR intend to continue chipping away at pop radio and Hot AC, where Poleman says “Monsters” will continue to grow (“The more it gets familiar, the more it’s going to continue to go up the charts”). The band recently returned to the studio, too, and Poleman already sounds excited about the early material he’s heard. “I think they’ll be able to follow this up with another hit and then hopefully a longer string,” he hints. “They’re in a good groove right now.”

While the band may be busy plotting their next creative move (“it’s felt good to stay sharp and keep the gears turning since we haven’t had anything else, really, to do,” says Gaskarth of being back in the studio), they’re also taking the time to appreciate the moment for what it is. “It’s wild to us that sixteen years into a career, we’re having a song resonate with people the way it is,” he says. “It’s amazing to still be making music that feels current and relevant and has the place in the world.”

Liner Notes (February 13th, 2021)

Snow Fox

It’s a snow day here in Portland.

This week’s newsletter has my thoughts on Big Sur, thoughts on Jimmy Eat World’s Clarity performance, thoughts on music I listened to this week, a few articles I found interesting this week and have been on my mind, and some random thoughts on entertainment and other musings. There’s also a playlist of ten songs I enjoyed, and this week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.

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Review: Left Field Messiah – In Praise of Bombast

The debut album from Left Field Messiah is a glorious throwback to the 70’s psychedelic era of music, and the band are on the right track for making a bold opening statement. LFM is comprised of Steve Bays (Hot Hot Heat), Jeremy Ruzumna (Fitz & The Tantrums) and Erik Janson (formerly of Wildling), and In Praise of Bombast blends each of their unique musical backgrounds into an interesting sound that is difficult to pin down to one genre. We recently premiered their last single for “Fuzz Machine,” that features some mind-bending visuals that provide the background to the soundtrack of their eclectic music that never follows the traditional norms of what rock music is supposed to be. In fact, Left Field Messiah are comfortable with stretching the imagination of their listeners as they take every opportunity to paint with vivid colors in their first major artistic statement.

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