In February, All Time Low surprised fans with two brand new singles and a complete refurb of their socials. Teases of a brand new era of the popular group began circulating, fueled by the new symbol and color scheme that began popping up. The band is now sporting a bright yellow theme, accompanied by a sun with an eye in the middle as the new emblem. Here are my thoughts on the first two singles from their newest album, Wake Up Sunshine, due to release April 3rd, 2020.
Single One: “Some Kind Of Disaster”
As soon as the track started, I was immediately reminded of their album Last Young Renegade. The sound of this track is very reminiscent of that classic, yet modern, All Time Low sound, with the steady and driving guitars paired with the powerful yet simple vocals supplied by Alex Gaskarth. The track begins with Gaskarth’s vocals and a simple synth beat accompanying it. It then immediately launches into a fast paced and steady verse, the lyrics evoking an immediate sense of nostalgia within me. “I woke up from a never ending dream/I shut my eyes at seventeen/I lost every moment in between/I felt the sun ride up and swallow me,” for some reason, reminded me of the summers when I was in early high school. The sound is very nostalgic and cheery, and is something anyone can relate to. Once you reach the chorus, the tempo slows slightly, but the guitars come in stronger than ever and carry it to an almost anthem-like sound. The song is an overall positive song about healing and taking that journey of healing yourself. My favorite lyric was, “You gotta hurt sometimes to learn to heal,” as I feel everyone can relate to it and it is just a great life motto.
The bridge carries the last part of the song, starting fast and leading the leader to expect it to launch right back into the chorus, however I was surprised when it suddenly slowed down and Alex’s vocals were much more isolated. I thought it was a nice touch to add that small break, and then lead right back into the last repetition of the chorus with the heavy guitars carrying out the rest of the song. Of the two tracks released thus far, this is definitely my favorite.
Single Two: “Sleeping In”
This song immediately begins with an energetic and upbeat guitar track backed by a simple beat. This song also seems to evoke a nostalgic feeling, and I feel like I’ve been launched into the summertime. The lyrics tell a simple tale of being smitten with someone and wanting to spend all your time with them. One thing I was pleasantly surprised by was the sudden switch between the verse and chorus. While the instrumentals in the verse were pretty simple and laid back, the chorus immediately picks up the pace and the guitars come in heavily once again. I can already tell that this song is going to be a fan favorite and will be a staple in their live performances. The happy and lovey-dovey lyrics paired with the energetic instrumentals makes for a song that you can easily sing and dance to. One thing I oddly really enjoyed was the small little guitar solo at the end of the first chorus, I thought it fit nicely yet still added some spice and something interesting to the track. The bridge is pretty simple, with the lyrics, “We like sleeping in” repeating over and over while a simple yet flowy synth track plays in the background, followed by a fast drum solo that launches us directly into the last chorus. I really enjoyed this song and hope to see them play it live, as I feel it will be a very happy and uplifting track live.
Overall, I think that the two singles released thus far are really setting the bar high for the rest of the album. They’re both the classic All Time Low sound, yet bring something new to the table. I’m interested to see how the rest of the album sounds, and to see if any new fan theories or teasers are floating around.
You can stream “Some Kind Of Disaster” and “Sleeping In” below.
