All Time Low - Don't Panic

Baltimore, Maryland's finest All Time Low return with a bang on their all new studio release, Don't Panic. The follow up to last year's Dirty Work finds the premiere pop-punkers returning to their initial sound they displayed on their earlier work, like 2006's "Put Up Or Shut Up" and 2007's "So Wrong, It's Right". This album is the best in their catalogue to date and is one of the best albums of the year so far.

The album opens up with the blasting first single "The Reckless and The Brave", a loud slice of pop-punk energy with the tremendous lead vocal power of Alex Gaskarth setting the tone of the album pretty quickly and gives us a preview of what we can expect when they come up to the plate. "Backseat Serenade" tones down the energy a notch, but still plays a formidable presence in the backfield with vivacious pop-punk rhythms and a sharp, poignant lyrical outlook that grabs a hold of you almost instantaneously and you'll never look back. My favorite track off the disc is "Somewhere in Neverland", a groove laden, pop-punk lover's delight with Alex's amazing vocal abilities, guitarist Jack Barakat's intense guitar riffs, bassist Zack Merrick's indelible bass licks, and drummer Rian Dawson's fast and furious drum patterns adding fuel to the fire on a song that best encapsulates the heart and soul of the album. "So Long Soldier" amps up the energy unexpectedly on a track that almost sounds like a metal track when you first hear it, and shows firsthand that the band are on a mission to prove themselves and show that they aren't a bunch of pretty boys who don't write their own songs.

The second half picks it up right where the first half left off on "To Live and Let Go", a much more toned down rocker that still plays a vital role in the success of the album with Alex's voice breathing charisma and youth into people's lives and making them feel young again. "Outlines" features a great guest vocal appearance from Jason Vena of Acceptance that continues to pedal the bike even faster with a non-stop melodic roller coaster that brings everything together on a mixed bag containing pop-punk rhythms and gritty lyrical content that sets everything in it's place right here. "For Baltimore" is an amazing, jaw dropping rhythmic blast that is an ode to the band's hometown, and serves as an appropriate anthem for the Baltimore Orioles in their quest to the playoffs and shows off the band's true colors, and who they are as musicians and as people in real life. We begin to close out the album with "Paint You Wings", a youthful and vivacious track chock full of "oh-oh-ohs" in the chorus and shows off the band's blueprint standard of creating wondrous pop-punk melodies and interweave it upon extremely well written lyrics that speak to mind of the band's effect on music listeners all over the world. The disc comes to an end on "So Long, And Thanks For All The Booze" that begins much like the same way it began with loud and intense guitar riffs and Alex's casual and goofy persona as a lead singer that serves as a model for how all pop-punk bands should craft their own compositions and how they interact with the audience, both on the album and in person. I was immediately sold on All Time Low when I first heard them 4 years ago, right after "Dear Maria, Count Me In" started to impact radio and MTV, and was totally captivated by the band's ability to communicate with the audience and compose true, heartfelt lyrics that speak to mind how universally loved and appreciated the band is by their fanbase (myself included), and how hilarious and good natured they are, whether it's communicating with their fans via Twitter or chatting outside one of their shows, this band is the real deal and should be embraced within their scene as the true pioneers of their genre.

All together, a terrific and well thought out follow up effort from All Time Low, who have made a bold statement that they are the preeminent kings of the pop-punk genre, and it seems kind of ridiculous for male fans to feel ashamed that they listen to them, because their music is user accessible by everyone regardless of gender and has affected people in a very positive and uplifting way. Highly recommended and definitely one of the best albums of the year!

                                                                                                                          Album Score: 4.5/5

Track Listing:

1. The Reckless and The Brave
2. Backseat Serenade
3. If These Sheets Were States
4. Somewhere in Neverland
5. So Long, Soldier
6. The Irony of Choking On A Lifesaver
7. To Live and Let Go
8. Outlines
9. Thanks to You
10. For Baltimore
11. Paint You Wings
12. So Long, and Thanks For All The Booze