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All Time Low

Future Hearts

Written by: PP on 09/06/2015 20:17:38

Say what you want about All Time Low in terms of their teenage girl friendly pop punk meets pop rock sound, but they've always produced records that are both naively fun and innocent while being hyper-catchy in the process. There may not be much depth or artistic integrity involved, but that's never been the point of this band anyway. Yet they've managed to steer clear from sounding like a generic major label pop band despite dabbling with the exact same elements. That is, until their 6th album "Future Hearts" that was released in April.

Here, the band throw away even the last shreds of integrity and go down the route of overproduced, overpolished, and incredibly generic pop music that basically is no different to a boy band with instruments. Previously cheeky and innocently catchy songs are now drowning in overproduction and questionable songwriting choices that suggest hit writers have been at work behind the scenes, starting from the totally nothing saying opener "Satellite" and culminating in the album's overtly predictable lead single "Kicking & Screaming". Any and all edge has been successfully ironed out of their expression by John Feldmann (once again), resulting in a disappointingly forgettable sound from a band that used to be renowned for their ability to write an infectiously catchy song. On "Future Hearts", everything revolves around an unnecessarily inflated soundscape which echoes in its grandiose glory and a million dollar production, but forgets that the core part of songwriting isn't about the production but the songs themselves.

Why does it need to sound this big? What purpose does it actually serve? These are some questions that haven't been asked or have simply been ignored during the writing and recording process of the album. The finished product sounds way more commercial than it has done in the past, resulting in a sound for the masses that simply offers nothing meaningful for music enthusiasts looking beyond the mere surface in a given genre. The songs are boring and forgettable and lack the drive and energy that made their ultra poppy tracks like "Weightless" tolerable and even enjoyable depending on who you ask. It goes without saying "Future Hearts" is the weakest All Time Low album to date.

Download: Kicking & Screaming, Something's Gotta Give
For the fans of: Simple Plan, The Maine, Fall Out Boy
Listen: Facebook

Release date 03.04.2015
Hopeless Records