Turning 18 years old usually means manning up and asking that special lady to prom, plotting a graduation celebration, and working every day over summer just to pay the car insurance on that beat-up Pinto.
That is, of course, unless that teenager is a member of All Time Low. These barely legal pop-punkers have sold over 25,000 copies of their debut EP, toured the nation on this past summer's Warped Tour, and recorded their first full length CD So Wrong, It's Right, which millions of pop punk fans are hoping to represent a second coming of Blink 182.
Unfortunately, those fans will be disappointed as All Time Low isn't as good as Blink, but they are well on their way.
So Wrong, It's Right opens with what sounds like an Amber Pacific b-side titled "This is How We Do," featuring drummer Rian Dawson's pulsating beats, making it easily the fastest paced track on the record.
Ironically, this song is one of the worst representations of the CD as a whole, with the rest of the tracks carrying a more pop-punk vibe.
"Holly (Would You Turn Me On)" instantly showcases Alex Gaskarth's vocal prowess, a gift usually withheld until both guitarists finally break out into a tailor made jam for rolling the windows down and screaming until the lungs give out.
"When are you gonna give it up/You're giving me such a rush/Come on, Holly/Would you turn me on," sings Gaskarth.
By the middle of the CD, the band really hits its stride, as each song becomes more and more likely to get stuck in the cranium.
Despite its shallow lyrics, the track "Dear Maria, Count Me In" presents a chorus that proves to be one of the year's catchiest. When it's inevitably released as a single, "Maria" has the potential to make ATL into the next pop-punk superstar.
Following suit is "Shameless," in which the band seems to take a bit of their sound from their EP, recycling it into another potential pop hit.
"Take me, show me/(Whoa oh, whoa oh)/ The corners of your empty room/The trouble we could get in to/Just fake it for me/(Whoa oh, whoa oh)/Disregard the footsteps/And we'll never tell a soul," sings Gaskarth.
Despite their successful commercial tries, the most impressive song, "Remembering Sunday," is oddly the most misplaced track on the CD. The track truly shows the band's versatility while certainly not alienating listeners.
The acoustic number features vocals from Juliet Simms, lead singer of the band Automatic Loveletter, who sounds much more comfortable and fitting here as opposed to her appearance on Cartel's "Lose It."
With recent pop-punk releases from the elites such as Fall Out Boy, Paramore, and The Starting Line, All Time Low does enough on their debut LP to show that they as well deserve a spot in the upper echelon of their genre.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
