All Time Low’s new album, Don’t Panic, is nothing to panic about. It brings back the band’s classic sound: a catchy chorus, paired with a strong drum beat, and a message for anyone listening.
Last summer, All Time Low announced they were switching labels because their previous label was not giving them their creative freedom. They anticipated Don’t Panic would feel more like All Time Low and not what the label made them be, and they achieved their goal.
“[Switching labels] was a process that came naturally. Having worked quite a good ways through the record independently, [we] started reaching out to various labels to see what the prospect was of us signing with different companies,” Alex Gaskarth, lead singer of All Time Low, said to Alternative Press. “It was a good situation in the sense that it was the first time in a long time that we got to sit back and mull over a decision and make the decision that was absolutely, one hundred percent what’s best for us. But, this time around, we were in [a] unique position where we were able to ask for exactly what we wanted and see who was willing to give [us] that.”
Don’t Panic features twelve new songs that resemble the sound from their second album, So Wrong, It’s Right, which was released in 2007. The songs have lyrics that can relate to almost anyone. They go anywhere from picking yourself up, to partying, and to moving on.
“The title [Don’t Panic] is a nod to Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, which involves the world being blown up by aliens to make way for a lightspeed highway,” Gaskarth said in an interview with Fuse TV. “So leaning into this tour, which takes us to the end of [2013], which is supposed to be when the world [was said to end in 2012], it just all felt very cohesive. So we rolled with the theme of, ‘Hey, maybe we’re all going to die soon, so let’s have one last hurrah.'”
The new album shows off All Time Low’s ability to continue creating great songs worth a “hurrah.” “Somewhere in Neverland” deserves more credit than it is given: it is an uplifting song that makes the listener want to get up and move. The sounds balances the message perfectly, which makes it a go-to pick-me-up song.
“The Reckless and the Brave” is the perfect song for any angsty suburban kid. The pop-punk sound makes it easy to sing and dance to on one of those days when one just wants to let loose and leave the town.
Although the majority of the album is fun to listen and dance to, “To Live and Let Go” does not hit the mark. The song has a good message about self-talk and overcoming a problem, but the actual music does not match. The music is rather upbeat, whereas the lyrics are sad.
The band still has a knack for making relatable songs, even after ten years together.
Last summer at Warped Tour in Tinley Park the band announced Don’t Panic is something they are proud of and hope everyone will love. They got their hopes up for all the right reasons; Don’t Panic is a nice blend of pop-punk, meaning, and memories.
All Time Low is currently on tour and will be in Chicago at Congress Theatre on May 3 and in Milwaukee at The Race on May 4 with Mayday Parade, Pierce the Veil, and You Me at Six.