All Time Low has been in the news quite a lot the past week. With their drummer, Rian Dawson, getting engaged to Hey Monday's lead singer, Cassidee Pope and All Time Low releasing a new song "Dirty Laundry", it has finally happened. All Time Low has given us some new music since their last release, Future Hearts, in April of 2015. The long and agonizing wait for them to come out of the dark had sent us into a coma and now the ATL family has awoken once again! But they've kept us in the dark longer than we thought.
Promotion for the Future Hearts album pretty much ended in May of 2015 after their tour and soon after they were they were no longer apart of Hopeless Records, a label they had been with from 2006 to 2009, then again from 2012 to 2016. Their release of "Dirty Laundry", a dark, synthy and emotionally pulling work, was released under the label Fueled By Ramen, whom they signed with at the beginning of 2016, who also have bands like TWENTY ØNE PILØTS, Panic! At The Disco and Paramore under their wing.
But wait... what happened to Hopeless Records? My theory is their contract was up. But can't you just renew a contract? If that's the case, either HR didn't want ATL or vice versa. No matter what, there has to be some sort of drama between the 24 year old label and 14 year old band. Their history is too strong, but this isn't the first time they've hopped from label to label.
Although HR was their first label, they had gone to Interscope Records in 2009 whom they released Dirty Work under and they don't ever play these songs on tour probably due to legality reasons. But all ATL fans know that we don't speak about that album nor do we speak about that era, which is probably why they left them in the first place. Interscope is tailored to pop artists such as Carly Rae Jepsen, Lady Gaga and Maroon 5. It was a huge mistake on their part and it explains why that album sounded the way it did. But clearly HR wanted them back and they signed them again in 2012, thank god, and they released Don't Panic which was one of their best albums, second to So Wrong, It's Right, while Dirty Work had the second lowest rating just above their first album The Party Scene.
In an interview conducted by Alternative Press, they asked the front man, Alex Gaskarth, how it all played out. But his answer was still pretty vague and he clearly was told to avoid releasing any information.
It's pretty crazy, actually, because the first label we ever showcased for was Fueled By Ramen when they were down in Florida, so signing with them now was 10 or 11 years in the making. What we're really grateful [for] is they're such a good family. We've always loved Fueled By Ramen, we've always been fans of the bands on the label. After our last record, we were unsigned and we needed a new label. It was the perfect opportunity to partner up with a team that we had been fans of for a really long time. They really let us be who we want to be. There was no one there trying to shape us or guide us or direct us where to go from here. It's kind of like, “Look, you guys already know what you’re doing. Let us help you, let us facilitate that.” To me, that's a sign of a great partnership.
Unfortunately he only provides that they were labeless after their last record and he doesn't tell us how or why they became labeless unless there was a fall out between the band and label. But there are a few clues and phrases within this quote that can give us a hint about what happened.
"What we're really grateful for is they're such a good family" can lead to the assumption there must have been some changes in the management team of HR that made them feel distant from them creating some sort of tension. And they must have been controlling considering the statement "[FBR] really let us be who we want to be. There was no one there trying to shape us or guide us or direct us where to go from here." The lack of freedom could've drove them to separate from HR or avoid the renewal of their contract. Let's hope that FBR holds onto their intentions. But just from their history, we'll use TWENTY ØNE PILØTS as an example, they've let artists be themselves and create music in their own way. Just from listening to TØP's old works they've hardly changed. In fact, they got better! Paramore is another incredible example. They might have lightened the sound slightly but it's not like Interscope where they made ATL release an entire album made completely out of synthesizers, EDM beats and empty lyrics.
Although ATL's latest release is something you'd hear on the Top 40, that's okay! It's a balance of who they want to be. With HR, they were probably pressured to sound as punk as possible for HR has bands like New Found Glory, Neck Deep and The Wonder Years. And with Interscope they were pressured to sound more like a pop boy band as much as possible. But maybe they've finally found their niche within the FBR family. It could possibly be another "Ed Sheeran Scenario" where their first single is just a Top 40 song to get their sound out there and then their next single is meant for the fans; a song that shows their true and original roots.
I'm very excited to see and hear what they have in store. I expect an album and tour dates no later than September! Don't disappoint me FBR!
Alex ended his interview with a heartwarming shout out to HR:
ps. Sending all our love and gratitude to the Hopeless Records family, without whom we wouldn't be in this position now. Thank you for supporting us and breaking down wall after wall with us as we navigated this wild ride together. You guys have been incredible to work with over the years. Good people go far, which is why you all continue to crush it day in and day out. Thank you.
