Tell Me I'm Alive is the ninth studio album by American rock band All Time Low. It was released on March 17, 2023, by the major label Fueled by Ramen.[1]
Background and recording
The release of Wake Up, Sunshine in April 2020 coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, preventing the band from touring. They continued to write music amidst global shutdowns; over the course of two years, the band wrote an estimated 30 songs, some of which became tracks on Tell Me I'm Alive.[2] Vocalist Alex Gaskarth and guitarist Jack Barakat stated that many of the album's themes, such as loneliness, were drawn from emotions and experiences they had witnessed during the pandemic.[3][2]
Composition
Critics of Tell Me I'm Alive have described the album as a blend of pop rock and pop punk.[4][5] Tracks on the album prominently feature synth and piano.[3]
In an interview with the Daily Express, Gaskarth described the album's sound as an "amalgamation" of Last Young Renegade and Wake Up, Sunshine.[3] He stated in a separate interview with Recovery Magazine that many songs on the album were influenced by artists like Queen and Elton John.[2]
Callum Crumlish praised the album's sound and lyrical quality.[6] Mark Sutherland of Kerrang! acknowledged the band's growing maturity and praised Gaskarth's vocals, but noted that the music style shifted from pop-punk to pop rock and unfavorably compared songs "New Religion" and "Calm Down" to works by Maroon 5 and Ed Sheeran, respectively.[4]
