“Wake up, Sunshine” is the perfect refreshing mix of songs to add a cheerful and upbeat soundtrack during social isolation. All Time Low, an alternative-indie band hailing from Baltimore, Maryland, released their latest album on Apr
il 3, 2020.
Lately, the world has been grim. News outlets are plastered in bad news and updates about the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic. Many people have been turning to music, art and television to occupy their minds. As a long-time All Time Low fan, I had been anxiously waiting for their newest album to be released.
All Time Low is known for their active nature, they release new music nearly every year and are constantly touring. However, it has been almost three years since their previous album--Last Young Renegade. The band had taken a brief hiatus, and many of the members explored new musical avenues. The lead singer, Alex Gaskarth, joined up with Blink,182’s Mark Hoppus, to start the pop-rock musical duo Simple Creatures.
The band’s hiatus did appear to bring a more genuine and compelling sound to their new music. “Wake Up, Sunshine” brought All Time Low back to their roots. The lyrics are catchy, with an upbeat feeling. This is apparent even with the more melancholy songs including the first track on the album, “Some Kind of Disaster.” As the album goes on, it becomes clear that “Wake Up, Sunshine” is a more mature and musically advanced version of All Time Low’s older style. This is a wonderful step after their previous album took a less instrumental, more synth focused pop tone.
“Wake up, Sunshine” exceeded my expectations, it’s perfect for fans who love All Time Low’s older sound--the album is authentic, chipper, with catchy guitar riffs.
One of my favorite things about the newest album is the way it was written. The songs flow together effortlessly and cohesively. Each band member clearly plays an important role in each song. One of the problems I have had with some of All Time Low’s most recent music is that it fails to showcase the band instrumentally. This problem, however, completely disappears in “Wake Up, Sunshine.” In fact, I would argue that in terms of instrumentals, it may be one of their best albums yet.
According to a Forbes article, the band members had actually rented a house for a month to write the album after their brief time apart. According to the same article, they initially didn’t have a strict plan for where the album was going to go, instead the songs came together organically.
The way the album was crafted was very fitting for a band of friends who started playing together at just 15 years old, brought together by their love of music.
I really enjoyed most of the songs on the album, but one of my personal favorites would have to be, “Melancholy Kaleidoscope.” It starts off with phenomenal instrumentals and a catchy melody. The topic manner is fitting for the current atmosphere of the world. It discusses the feeling of being stuck in a low place, unsure of how to get out. These thoughts are truthful of many people’s reality as a result of the current pandemic.
In many ways, Wake up, Sunshine, is perfect for the times. It's a fun escape to tune out and occupy yourself, while also covering topics that are relevant and relatable. Wake up, Sunshine is not an album you want to miss. 9/10 Stars.