Last Friday, All Time Low dropped Everyone’s Talking!, their 10th studio album, featuring 15 tracks of energetic and sincere pop-punk and rock ‘n ‘roll, with a few special guests.
In celebration of the new record, we had a chance to chat with founding frontman Alex Gaskarth to pick his brain about what he’s listening to, some of his favorite songs, and what makes Everyone’s Talking! such an important album for the band. Scroll down to read more!
VICE: This year marks 22 years of All Time Low, and I’m wondering, is there a song you could credit with being the one that was the biggest inspiration for starting the band?
Alex Gaskarth: Wow, great question. Hard to pinpoint just ONE song that would’ve led to the creation of this band, but if I had to pick one that encapsulates all four of us at that time back in 2003, I’d probably say Burnout by Green Day. It’s one of the first songs we played together as a band, before we’d even thought about a band name or writing our own music. It’s the song we came together over.
VICE: In the song “Oh No!” from your new album, Everyone’s Talking!, there’s this great line that really sticks out: “My vices pressed in vinyl on repeat.” What song has been most on repeat for you lately?
AG: Gotta give it to my boys in Five Seconds of Summer. I think their single “Not Ok” is just too much fun. Love when a band gets weird and they do it so well.
VICE: You guys have a couple of really incredible features on the new record, but I’d like to zero in on (my personal favorite) singer-songwriter extraordinaire, Ruston Kelly. What song of his do you recommend to anyone who may be new to his music?
AG: His newest album is fantastic, but if I have to choose just one song, I’ve got to go with the one that got me into him in the first place– “Faceplant.”*
(* This is the correct answer. We would have also accepted “Son of a Highway Daughter” or “1000 Graves.”)
VICE: About 15 years ago, you guys wrote the song “Painting Flowers” for Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland film, and I actually don’t have a question for this one. I’ve just always really loved that song because it’s so perfectly written, and I wanted to tell you.
AG: LOL Thank you! Interestingly, it was a song that was already written, and we sort of took it apart and rearranged it a little to make it more our own…But it was a song written for the soundtrack that we were asked to perform.
VICE: “Dear Maria” is in the upper echelon of songs about a specific girl, so what’s your all-time favorite song with a woman’s name in the title?
AG: It’s a toss-up for me between Jolene by Dolly Parton and Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles. Jolene was the first song that came to mind, but Eleanor Rigby means a lot to me.
VICE: Lastly, I just wanted to say congrats on Everyone’s Talking! and ask, what does this new album represent for All Time Low?
AG: It represents some kind of rebirth and reinvigoration towards the band. I think it’s about finding hope on the other side of a low point, and then clawing your way back up into the light.
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