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happy 404 day i love my city endlessly ♥️

okay so I finally listened to the new All Time Low album Everyone's Talking. and aaaaaaa. very long essay incoming as per usual. just like my last album review, there's going to be some talk of some mental health issues. skip over this post if that's triggering in any way

Track #1: [cold open]. here we've got our album opener. it's super short, sitting at just over a minute long. there's not really much for me to say about this one since it's so short, but I really liked it as an opening song. it makes a brief mention of the past few years and how they've been. and it even name-drops the title of both the album and the title track. giving this one an 7.5/10

Track #2: Everyone's Talking. here we are, the titular track. this one's kinda both angry and depressing. there's a lyric in it that goes "and it's wild I'm still alive". that was a little more relatable than I'd like to admit and I won't go into all the details, but I've had that same thought before for a couple of reasons. the next relatable lyric is part of the chorus "there must be somethin' wrong cause everyone's talkin', but no one's talkin' to me". I've had some times where people just quit talking to me out of nowhere and I'd just wonder why. no explanation, nothing. then another lyric made me think back to that even more "well a friend's not a friend at the end of the phone". but anyway, yeah. the chorus just made me think about that. I liked this song but it wasn't my favorite off the album. 8.5/10

Track #3: SUCKERPUNCH. okay so this one actually reminded me of a couple other songs I like from other artists I'm a fan of. first one it reminded me of was "Punching Bag" by Set It Off, in large part because they're both angry songs that discuss punching. also because the word skeleton is there, and SIO has a song called Skeleton. the next song suckerpunch reminded me of was "Lion Eyes" by Hollywood Undead. that song is also pretty angry as it details a relationship gone wrong. this one doesn't mention punching, but it does mention knives and nails. and then suckerpunch has a lyric that goes "come here, I'll pucker up, kiss me while I'm fallin' down". those songs all have that theme of a relationship gone wrong with mentions of violence. back to suckerpunch, I did enjoy this one but it also didn't end up being my favorite. 8/10

Track #4: Oh No! okay, I'll admit that just seeing the title of this one immediately made me think of the MARINA song with the same title lmao (also a longtime fan of her music). I started out listening to it, wondering if it would sound at all similar to MARINA'S Oh No!. but it sounded completely different and I love both songs so much. this one ended up being one of my favorites off of ET. the "touch grass" lyric had me dying cause I don't think I've heard it in a song until now. the chorus especially jumped out at me. it goes "but if I'm not broken like I used to be, will I still be interesting? if I built my brand on feeling sad, do I need my broken-hearted back?". I'm telling you, this jumped out at me like nothing else. it reminded me of a couple of things I've seen and heard before. it's a pretty sad thought to have, wondering if you're not interesting anymore once you stop being sad. what I found interesting about this song is that in the first verse, the narrator mentions feeling better/taking care of himself more. and then the chorus comes immediately after and he expresses doubt about feeling better and wondering if people will still find him interesting, especially if he built his brand on feeling sad. i.e. his early songs mostly being sad ones, he might wonder how much of his audience he'll keep if he makes a shift to more positive songs. this then is further solidified in the lyric "but what if it's the madness in the man that makes the music?", wondering if he'll lose his talent and ability if he starts to get better. this song kinda alternates between feeling better, then wondering if that's actually a good thing, then not being fine again. just..aaaa. one of ATL's best works, bar none. 10/10

Track #5: The Weather. I will admit I had a little laugh over the phrases "crash out" and "down bad" used in a song cause that's the first time I've heard that happen lmao. but putting that aside, I enjoyed this song a lot! I love the imagery of ghosts and waves. really added to the theme of breakups. there was sadness, regret, and a little anger in this song. it discusses how things were in the past and then goes to the present and how things have changed for both parties. the lyric "and our moment in the sun, it feels a little colder now" is my favorite. I love how that was worded. the moment itself was warm both figuratively and literally. but now that time has passed and the breakup has taken place, it feels colder. also both figuratively and literally. augh. I enjoyed this one. giving it a 9/10

Track #6: Falling For Strangers. breakup song #2 on this album. this one ended up being another favorite of mine. this one sounds a little more sad compared to The Weather, so it was a nice counterpart. it discusses feeling both sad and empty and the process of trying to move on with someone else and then failing to do so. also, the lyric "they taste like you, only bitter" reminded me of the Fall Out Boy lyric "see, he tastes like you, only sweeter". I love how they mean the complete opposite of each other. those lyrics are such foils. and then the lyric after that one "mama didn't raise no quitter" reminded me of the Set It Off lyric "my mama didn't raise no fool". this whole album kept reminding me of other artists I listen to lol. but back to Falling For Strangers, the lyric "it's just a cope, and nothing compares to you. I'm doubling down, trying to blur you out" jumped out at me. the speaker's been trying so hard to move on for the whole duration of the song, but he just keeps finding himself with people who look/remind him of his ex. he's trying hard to blur out his ex, but he admits earlier in the song "could've guessed, should've known, got a type now and it shows" since every stranger he tries to move on with just looks like his ex. augh. this is a pure work of art. this gets my second 10/10 rating

Track #7: Viva Las Vegas Nerve. the references on this one. omg. the first lyric "the city's alive, I feel like dying again" reminded me of ATL's Don't Panic song For Baltimore "the city comes alive when we're together" lyric. and now the speaker feels like dying, so this kinda feel like a sequel to For Baltimore. like maybe the person he was with in FB left him and now there's someone else in the picture. or it's the same person but things have changed between them. either way. and then a lyric in the chorus goes...you guessed it "she said baby don't panic". I was immediately like "DON'T PANIC MENTIONED?? 👀". both songs mentioned here have some romantic undertones, so that adds to me thinking VLVN is an FB sequel. the entire bridge was PEAK. augh. "I'll see you tonight, you promised me the world again. I'll meet you where the sun goes to sleep, and then you'll give me the stars to fill up the dark. but when it's over, will there be anything left?". peak writing, I swear. that verse made me think that the person the speaker is singing to is the same person from FB due to the "again". it implies that they have history. maybe they were together once but not anymore, and now things are awkward between them and the speaker wonders if there will be anything left to them anymore. anyway. I just loved this one. 9/10

Track #8: Sugar. this is the second time in the past few days I've heard a song on a new album one of my favorite artists released that talks about sugar. I also laughed when the phrase "spill the tea" was used. third slang phrase I've heard on this album lmao. this one isn't as angsty as when Set It Off used sugar imagery, so there's a contrast there. this one was more fluffy, I'd say. the opening lyrics are "caught in the middle of a chemical drought. quicksand city, but you pulled me out". the chemical drought made me wonder if it was meant to be a metaphor for feeling unloved/having no one to love (since y'know, love is a chemical). and then the person being sung about saved the speaker and they're happy together. just how I interpreted it, anyway. 7/10

Track #9: Goodnight, C'est La Vie. this one's another super short song (tbh, this album's had a lot of those. a lot of the songs are under 3 minutes). this one's about a girl who had a bad relationship with her dad and...apparently was going to get married at the taco bell. so that was interesting. but there's more. the girl's dad shot and killed her boyfriend. and I'm gonna be honest, I immediately thought of Hayloft by Mother Mother when I heard this song. both of them mention a girl who had a boyfriend, but her dad didn't like the boyfriend so then he shot and killed him. and now I need a Goodnight, C'est La Vie II (please All Time Low, I need this now lmao 🙏🏼). this song was short and...not sweet 🫠 8/10

Track #10: Bubblegum. this was the second time I got reminded of a MARINA song cause she also has a song with this word in its title. AND both choruses have the lyrics from the speakers saying that they want/will be someone's bubblegum. I enjoyed the candy metaphors in this one. the beginning lyrics "it's a dark world, these are dark times" reminded me of ATL's Tell Me I'm Alive song "Calm Down" (that one starts with "it's a mad, mad world, tell me not to be so mad about it" and that one's an all-time favorite of mine). I liked the lyric "steal your jaded heart away" cause the word "jaded" is close to my irl name, so that was kinda cool. I'm giving this one a 7/10. it was okay, but I didn't like it as much as some other songs on this album

Track #11: Little Bit. this one kinda reminded me of the title track on Tell Me I'm Alive cause both songs have the speaker being reckless and just living it up to a low-key dangerous degree. then there was a verse that mentioned plastic surgery and how no one will see what's underneath. textbook masking, there we go. I liked the lyric "if I burn out, oh well, at least I touched the sun", that was probably the highlight of this song (pun maybe intended). 8/10

Track #12: Cigarettes and Sabotage. this one reminded me of a couple of ATL's older songs such as Your Bed, Don't You Go (from their Future Hearts album), and Walls (from their Nothing Personal album) cause all of those songs mention one-night stands and not feeling great. I enjoyed the lyric "I'm the writing on the wall, there goes my heart on my sleeve". also liked the beginning "it's okay to have a cry, sis. you were overdue a crisis", it kinda felt reassuring. like y'know, you don't always have to be happy. sometimes things just suck. I enjoy it when ATL puts positive messages like that into their music. it's one of the things that drew me to the band in the first place. but back to the song, I found it kinda funny when there was the lyric "lay the cards down, no metaphors" cause lay the cards down IS a metaphor lmao. I enjoyed the song a decent bit! it felt fresh and new but also nostalgic. 8.5/10

Track #13: Tread Water. this one...augh. this was another favorite of mine, y'all have no idea. the "you love me like a broken record" lyric grabbed my attention pretty quickly. it reminded me of the Hollywood Undead song Broken Record (every time I hear that phrase, I think of HU. the hyperfixation is strong lmao). but putting that aside, I enjoyed that simile. broken records just keep going on and on, and the speaker is loved that way by the person he's mentioning. the "yeah, I'm just a wave" line made me think of ATL's Future Hearts song "Tidal Waves", both because of the word and because the messages were kinda similar. but omg...the whole message in this song, guys. I love it. the chorus goes "how long can we tread water? how long can we stay 'float? you want to swim, you gotta learn to let go. 'cause if you hold me any longer, yeah, you know we'll sink like a stone. we'll sink like a stone". (quick little side note, that's the second time they mention stones in this album! first time was in FFS) I love the metaphor of sinking like a stone when someone is in a relationship that isn't good for them. sometimes, one person ends up dragging the other down with them, whether intentionally or not. but then it's clear that the speaker didn't mean to ruin things thanks to the lyrics "I never meant to break that promise, I never meant to let you down". and then the relationship starts to sound mutually unhealthy due to the lyric "I was your lifeboat, but I capsized in your waves, crashing". it sounds to me like both parties tried their best to be what the other needed but in the end, neither of them could so they parted ways. the speaker later acknowledges that "now nothing I can say is gonna change the way it was". he also admits not being able to forget his ex "but I can't wash away the memory of us". he also still cares about them, which is made evident when he says "I'd give you the last breath of air from my lungs". this whole song was perfect from start to finish. 10/10, no questions

Track #14: Different Languages. first thing I'm going to say about this one is that it reminded me of Set It Off's song Different Songs, both because the titles were similar and also because of the similar themes (people in a relationship but now starting to grow apart and they don't understand each other anymore). next thing that jumped out at me was ATL's callback to a couple of their older songs. the lyric "you were painting flowers, I was off in Neverland" references their single "Painting Flowers" and their Don't Panic song "Somewhere in Neverland". augh. I actually don't remember those songs much since I haven't listened to them in awhile, but I still got the references. this song also mentions writing on the wall again, so that was cool! the "finding cracks in photographs we hadn't taken yet" really jumped out at me, too. they hadn't even taken the pictures yet and they're already finding cracks. this could also symbolize the couple in the story of this song trying to work through things, but there are cracks there that either they don't notice yet or they find them before even trying to work through things. the lyric "love's what we choose to forgive" was also a highlight of this song for me. cause it's true, love means forgiving. obviously not forgiving things that can't be forgiven, it just means that mistakes get made and we can choose to work through them or part ways. another few lyrics are "say it wasn't all for nothing all over again, tell me everything'll be the way it was..." this made me think "the speaker doesn't want to end things, he wants to work through them. he hopes that his partner also wants to. and then one of the last lyrics of this song is "speaking different languages again, lately I've been liking how that sounds". I interpreted this one one of two ways. one, the differences are too vast at this point so the couple has decided to go their separate ways. or two, they've just come to accept their differences at this point. it doesn't feel intimidating or like they're drifting apart anymore. things have just changed now and they've learned to work through it. this song ended up being another favorite of mine. 10/10

Finally, Track #15: Butterflies. this one was a bit of a tonal whiplash cause it sounded angrier than the more soft and mellow Different Languages. the pre-chorus goes INCREDIBLY hard. "it's how you cope, but now you're chokin' while you're prayin' for some discount Jesus Christ to come save you from yourself". that was just...wow. I loved how that was written and sung. the chorus only continues this, going "so what's the point of holdin' on when lettin' go's the only way you're changin'? stop waiting for the grass to grow, catchin' butterflies that ain't worth chasin'. I've never heard the butterfly metaphor used this way before, but now I can officially say I love it. the person being sung about sounds like the kind of person who's always struggling (hence waiting for someone to save them from themselves). the "butterflies" could symbolize them chasing after something that really won't be worth it in the end. I did like this one, but it didn't end up being a favorite. 7.5/10

and that was my full album review for Everyone's Talking! this album didn't end up being my favorite (honestly, it's a tough call to choose which one would be my favorite lmao), but I did enjoy it overall and I do have a couple favorite songs from it that really stand out to me

hope anyone who read my review enjoyed it 🫶🏼