The Weather Many people don’t know how just how close All Time Low were from walking away from the music scene. After a dark cloud surrounded the band shortly after the release of Wake Up, Sunshine regarding allegations of misconduct, there was a bit of uncertainty of how or if All Time Low could move forward. After the allegations were deemed to be fabricated, the band decided to move forward with the release of their ninth studio album, Tell Me I’m Alive and a re-recording of their earlier material called Forever Sessions Volume 1 in hopes of rekindling their love for making music together. In an interview with Rolling Stone, the band shared that this period, “…was at a time when I think we weren’t sure if we wanted to make another album. I think maybe you do this long enough and you’re like, ‘Maybe we’ve told the story. Maybe we’ve said all that needed to be said, and maybe there’s not much left for us to say.’ But we’ve had this newfound sense of belonging to the band and this love for it that was rekindled, and we said, ‘I think there’s another one in the tank.’ It’s a good thing that All Time Low decided to regroup, as Everyone’s Talking! ends up being some of the band’s best material to date.
The set was produced mostly by Dan Swank, with some additional production credits given to Zakk Cervini, Dan Book and Andrew Goldstein, and the combination of strong songwriting paired with crisp production elements pays off big here. The lead single of “Suckerpunch” kicked off the promotional cycle of the LP, and it’s filled with metaphors and references to the fabricated allegations against the band to take back ownership of “their story.”
”[cold open]” starts the tenth studio album from All Time Low on a somber note with an acoustic guitar and Alex Gaskarth’s dynamic vocal performance as he shares, “I’ll see you again when the curtain is falling / So happy to be here / Everyone’s talking!” as a way of setting the tone for the material that leans into the controversy the band experienced. The title track gets even deeper into these fabrications, as Alex sings pointedly “Well, a friend’s not a friend at the end of the phone / When they’re talking about you in Rolling Stone / This is not how I thought thirty-five would go / While I’m two years into the horror show / And I’m click bait now / In a week or so there’ll be nothing left / But my fucking bones / So I’ll play my ribs like a xylophone /
And you’ll probably still fucking come to the show.” The band takes it all in stride, and gets into a nice groove as the album unfolds.
”Oh No!” was the third single to be released from the set and it leans more heavily into the sound the band explored on Wake Up, Sunshine with its starry-eyed vision and picturesque lyrics. The production, in particular, on songs like this showcase the great choices the band made in the studio to get the most out of each song. Second verse parts like, “Then the apathy begets the fall / And sooner or later it’s me and all / My vices pressed in vinyl on repeat,” recognizes the lasting impact of the band’s music and that they still have an army of fans cheering them on during this resurgence.
The album’s best song can be found on “The Weather” that was released as the second single from the LP, and features some of the band’s best songwriting to date. The track is about finding ways to communicate with someone whose mind and heart is elsewhere in a complicated relationship. Alex’s passionate plea in the chorus of, “When I see you around / I don’t wanna talk about the weather / And I heard you’re doing better / Moved in with some asshole from God knows wherever / So we talk about the weather / When I see you around,” is well-crafted and the song features a great guitar solo from Jack Barakat to keep things at their most interesting. “Falling For Strangers” seems like the logical sequel to Wake Up, Sunshine’s “Getaway Green” and it borrows the opening guitar riff crafted by Barakat in a bit of a reimagined way here. The pre-chorus of, “They taste like you, only bitter / Momma didn’t raise no quitter,” also borrows a line from Fall Out Boy’s classic of “Dance, Dance,” but All Time Low do plenty to distinguish themselves as their own brand here.
”Viva Las Vagus Nerve” is a cool, nighttime-esque track that gets deeper into the atmospheric elements the band tinkered with on the previous effort of Tell Me I’m Alive, but with better results here. The steady drumbeat from Rian Dawson, paired with a solid bass-line from Zack Merrick, allows for plenty of harmonies in the chorus between the band members to make the song be a standout in a record that is filled with so many memorable moments. “Sugar” offers up the first guest spot on the record with a nice cameo from JOJO to tell a back and forth story of two lovers torn on the next step. JOJO’s verse of, “You can feel me giving up on gravity now / Stepping out of body, got me wondering how / We could stay like this until we gotta come down / So, where you want to go? / Think I already know / It tastes like, tastes like…” before harmonizing in the second chorus brilliantly.
”Goodnight, C’est La Vie” is a quick little acoustic track that allows for the audience to catch their breath a bit and swoon over Alex and Jack’s great harmonized performance before they get hit in the face again with a punchy song of “Bubblegum.” It’s on the latter track that All Time Low feel like they’re getting back to their roots and yet still finding new elements to add to their sound to keep things interesting. “Little Bit” is a cool punk rock track that finds Alex mixing up his vocal cadence in the verses to remind fans that this pop-punk band is still capable of the “punk” part of the genre. “Cigarettes & Sabotage” features a stellar chorus of, “Save me / I don’t think it’s possible lately / I’m the writing on the wall / There goes my heart on my sleeve / Falling for diamonds and decolletage / To the smell of cigarettes and sabotage,” as Alex delivers a crisp and passionate vocal performance that sets the band apart from the pop-punk pack.
”Tread Water” is a heartfelt ballad that features an A-lister guest spot of Ruston Kelly and it tells the story of being at your breaking point and trying to just stay ahead of the darkness that lurks in the background. I found the bridge of, “Now nothing I can say is gonna change the way it was / The tide can’t wash away the memory of us / And while the search and rescue’s circling above / I’d give you the last breath of air from my lungs,” to be very powerful and to the point of a person willing to give their last moments to the person that means the most to them in this world. “Different Languages” is a nice mid-tempo song that unfolds with some cool atmospheric elements added into the mix, while the great album closer of “Butterflies” greatly rewards the fans who’ve stuck around this band through thick n’ thin. The passionate final chorus of, “What’s the point of holding on / When letting go’s the only way you’re changing? / Stop waiting for the grass to grow / You’re catching butterflies that ain’t worth chasin’,” is very well-written and highlights a band aging gracefully in the latter stages of their musical career.
Everyone’s Talking! lives up its name in more ways than one since it’s sure to get music fans chattering in the forums about whether All Time Low made the right choice to continue on. In addition to this, the conversation can also be framed in a way that All Time Low are making the best music of their career on their now-tenth studio album. Regardless of which side that you’re on, it’s commendable that All Time Low regrouped in just the right way, and for the right reasons, to make a career-defining statement on Eveyone’s Talking!