Album Review: All Time Low - 'Nothing Personal'

27 July 2009 | 12:42 pm | Staff Writer
Originally Appeared In

A step in the right direction.

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Since their EP debut, Put Up or Shut Up, Maryland pop-punkers All Time Low have been creating music filled with catchy hooks and choruses, and this is no different on their new release, ‘Nothing Personal’, their second full-length album on Hopeless Records.


Hailing from Baltimore, Maryland, these young musicians consider their influences to be some of the most well-known pop-punk bands; ranging from Blink-182, Fall Out Boy and New Found Glory. Although it has been said that their biggest influence is recently reunited band Blink 182, it is hard to hear it on the album, with most of the tracks being able to draw a direct influence from either Jimmy Eat World, New Found Glory or Motion City Soundtrack.


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With lyrics ranging from songs about being drunk on Stella Artois, to the concept of one night stands, this album is surely a breakthrough one for this young group.


During the course of recording this album, the band turned to not just one producer, but several, all who received co-writing credits on the album. Butch Walker, Matt Squire, David Bendeth, and the producing team of S*A*M & Sluggo, all helped producing different tracks on the album.


The album opener, ‘Weightless’ is a classic. A catchy pop-punk song about taking the reigns in your own life and not letting people step on you, especially with its most appealing hook “Maybe it’s not my weekend/But it’s gonna be my year.”


Later tracks such as ‘Break Your Little Heart’ and ‘A Party Song (The Walk of Shame)’ are able to channel vintage New Found Glory, whilst the sing-songy track ‘Stella’ is sure to be a hit among high-schoolers this year.


One of the biggest risk-takers on the album is the track ‘Too Much’ which is a slow, electronic number which indeed proves to be too much.

Undoubtedly, ‘Sick Little Games; and ‘Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don’t)’ are some of the best tracks on the album. They are huge pop-rock songs that draw immediate attention to Gaskarths [vocalist] solid vocals. ‘Hello, Brooklyn’ is almost a waste of a track, with meaningless lyrics and the calling out of cities in an effort to was time until the next track begins.


Whilst ‘Lost in Stereo’ is reminiscent of Jimmy Eat World (post-Clarity), ‘Therapy’ is a clear winner on the album. Pulling in influences from Motion City Soundtrack, ‘Therapy’ is the perfect rock-ballad closer for the album. During the track, Gaskarth showcases his vocal range and maturity in a way that All Time Low listeners have never heard before.

Unfortunately, the use of auto-tune has been exploited throughout the album. Gaskarths vocals have been auto-tuned and vocoder-ed beyond the limits of what they should have been.


Whilst the songs are richly woven musical tapestries that present life from all different angles, they definitely show the creativity that All Time Low possess and that will enable them to be around for a very long time.


Nothing Personal manages to pick up right where 2007’s So Wrong, It’s Right left off, and is able to take it further then before. It is almost a guarantee that this album will be extremely popular around the teenage population, and will be heard from car speakers all around high schools and university campuses.

Whilst Nothing Personal isn’t their magnum, it is definitely a step in the right direction.

   1. "Weightless" - 3:18

   2. "Break Your Little Heart" - 2:52

   3. "Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don't)" - 3:07

   4. "Lost in Stereo" - 3:48

   5. "Stella" - 3:24

   6. "Sick Little Games" - 3:36

   7. "Hello Brooklyn" - 3:30

   8. "Walls" - 3:11

   9. "Too Much" - 4:15

  10. "Keep the Change, You Filthy Animal" - 3:20

  11. "A Party Song (The Walk of Shame)" - 2:59

  12. "Therapy" - 3:44