Between this and their last two singles, maybe “All Time Mid” is a more befitting name…
[Video]
[5.22]
Andrew Karpan: What would Jean Baudrillard have to say about postmodern anxiety or “PMA,” as pop punk lifers All Time Low call it on their latest single? Certainly, Alex Gaskarth comes to the table with more than enough “disposable simulacra,” delivered in a kind of lanky agitation and tracing the outlines of a world illuminated by memories of watching too much TV. “And I don’t even like it!,” he sings convincingly, even if the lyrics themselves aren’t quite as keenly selected as the ones Matty Healy pulls out of the bag to buffet his band’s theory-book titled albums. But the imperfections give the sound a cringe quality that feels practically joyous in a punk record, whose production values inherently shrug off pretentiousness. Even Healy’s label mates Pale Waves, whose singer dials her concerns in over at the track’s end, comes off with a kind of pure self-assuredness that felt missing among all the rage on her band’s sophomore effort. Some things can be disposable but good.
[7]
Will Adams: Both All Time Low and Pale Waves have excellently executed this early-’00s strain of adolescent pop-punk this year; frustratingly, their pairing here results in doubling down on those pop mental health tropes that tell, not show, the angst. The hooks and surging guitars remain, though; is there any genre better suited to simultaneously rolling your eyes and jumping along to the chorus?
[6]
Jeffrey Brister: Sunny production, bouncy lyrics, pretty slamming drums, but nothing truly distinctive, which kinda sucks! Heather Baron-Gracie has a very interesting voice, and none of its qualities get a workout here.
[5]
Ian Mathers: A perfectly fine, zippy little song, I just wish they were singing something that didn’t thud to the ground with a dull clang like “apathy and irony, postmodern anxiety” during the chorus, and that they hadn’t gone with such a witlessly “ironic” title.
[5]
John Pinto: There’s some interesting stuff here about not having the terms and/or self-confidence to address loneliness/depression/et al. Unfortunately, the song’s vagueness ultimately makes it a victim of that same lukewarm confusion. Title and hook are remarkably bad.
[3]
Thomas Inskeep: “PMA” is the most average pop-punk imaginable. If that’s your lane, you’ll enjoy this male/female duet. If not, you don’t ever need to hear it again.
[3]
Samson Savill de Jong: This is one of those songs that I’ve listened to a lot in an attempt to figure out whether or not I enjoy it. The presence of one of my faves Heather Baron-Gracie may have meant I was more eager to give the song a ringing endorsement, but her parts stood out against All Time Low’s instantly. The reason might not be immediately apparent before listening; the lyrics are broadly on a similar level, and they’re sung in similar ways. But I believe Heather in a way I don’t believe All Time Low. When she sings her therapist hates her, I think she feels that; when he sings that he watches Jeopardy despite not liking it I become convinced that this man’s never watched a television in his life. Repeated exposure has warmed me to the tune enough that I can enjoy the whole song, but Heather’s presence shows how much intangibles can bring to a song.
[6]
Aaron Bergstrom: Listen, Heather, I get it. I bet this was really fun to make. I bet you really mean all those nice things you’ve been saying about All Time Low, and I’m sure they’re really nice guys. But I’m worried about you. Because this is how it starts. Next thing you know, Travis Barker is writing and producing like nine songs on the next Pale Waves album and you forget all about the unique little touches that made your first two albums so special as you slip into the pop punk revival vortex. If I had the courage of my convictions, I’d give you a [3] and call it tough love, but I can’t, because you sold the hell out of this.
[7]
Alfred Soto: A charming fizzer that would’ve hit the top ten of Billboard‘s Modern Rock Tracks chart in, say, 2007. This has lyrics?
[5]