All Time Low - NothingPersonal

Sun 20th Sep, 2009 in Music Reviews

There has been a lot to say about All Time Low’s latest album long before it was even released. They were awarded AP magazine’s “Band of the Year” and Nothing Personal was listed as one of the most anticipated albums of 2009.

It’s getting harder and harder these days to stop albums from being leaked before their released date, especially one everybody has been talking about. Frontman Alex Gaskarth admitted via his Twitter he has been “watching StrikeGently.com (a music-news blog known for leaking unreleased tunes) like a hawk” ever since they streamed 10 second previews from individual songs. Unfortunately, the album did leak a week before release date, but it didn’t stop the sale of pre-orders.

The first single Weightless was released along with a video the day before album release with a provocative message about the bands view on the music industry. Keeping faithful to their ‘we-don’t-take-ourselves-seriously’ image, a lot of the album talks about the transformation from a garage band to full blown rock-stars, MTV exposure and learning to keep your friends close but your enemies closer. The clip features pop punk legends Pete Wentz (Fall Out Boy) and Mark Hoppus (Blink 182) bagging out on the band performing Weightless, criticizing them for copying their bands.

The album seems almost negative with songs such as Break Your Little Heart about triumph and calling out on “fake” friends and girlfriends. It seems ironic that such upbeat songs that aren’t meant to be taken seriously have such in-depth messages, but it’s obvious that Gaskarth has put some serious thought into his lyrics this time around as opposed to songs about strippers named Maria.

Unfortunately, Nothing Personal follows the same format as their last album, So Wrong It’s Right. Upon pressing play, it starts with a bang, going straight into Weightless, Break Your Little Heart and second single, Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don’t). The album progresses with catchy “oh-oh-oh’s” and upbeat riffs, the filler songs obvious and the slow songs even more obvious.

Stella is almost a replica of SWIR’s Holly (Would You Turn Me On?) and both Too Much and Therapy fall under the Remembering Sunday category (also from the previous album). The album drops its game a little over half way through, beginning to sound like over-produced mainstream pop from Walls onwards, but picks up again at the second-to-last song A Party Song (The Walk of Shame) sounding much like something you’d air guitar to in front of a mirror. Though the most talked about track on the album, Therapy does absolutely nothing for me, sounding nothing like Gaskarth’s vocals or the bands original genre.

Overall though Nothing Personal the typical summer anthem it’s trying to achieve and a must have for pop-punk lovers. Well done, boys.