''Tell Me I'm Alive'' is the ninth studio album by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band

All Time Low All Time Low is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Towson, Maryland, in 2003. Consisting of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Alex Gaskarth, lead guitarist Jack Barakat, bassist/backing vocalist Zack Merrick, and drummer Rian Dawson ...

. It was released on March 17, 2023, as the band's third and final release with major label Fueled by Ramen.

Background and recording

The release of ''

Wake Up, Sunshine ''Wake Up, Sunshine'' is the eighth studio album by American rock band All Time Low. It was released on April 3, 2020, and is their second release with Fueled by Ramen following '' Last Young Renegade'' in 2017. The album's fourth and final sin ...

'' in April 2020 coincided with the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, 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''. 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.

Composition

Critics of ''Tell Me I'm Alive'' have described the album as a blend of pop rock and pop punk. Tracks on the album prominently feature synth and piano. In an interview with the ''

Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first ...

'', Gaskarth described the album's sound as an "amalgamation" of ''

Last Young Renegade ''Last Young Renegade'' is the seventh studio album by American rock band All Time Low. It was released on June 2, 2017, and is their first release with Fueled by Ramen. The lead single, " Dirty Laundry", premiered on BBC Radio 1 on February 17, ...

'' and ''Wake Up, Sunshine''. He stated in a separate interview with ''Recovery Magazine'' that many songs on the album were influenced by artists like

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

and

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

Reception

Callum Crumlish praised the album's sound and lyrical quality. Mark Sutherland of ''

Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British music webzine and quarterly magazine that primarily covers rock, punk and heavy metal music. Since 2017, the magazine has been published by Wasted Talent Ltd (the same company that owns electronic music publication ...

'' acknowledged the band's growing maturity and praised Gaskarth's vocals, but noted that the music style shifted from

pop-punk Pop-punk (also punk-pop, alternatively spelled without the hyphen) is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop music, pop. It is defined by its fast-paced, energetic tempos, and emphasis on classic pop s ...

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

and unfavorably compared songs "New Religion" and "Calm Down" to works by

Maroon 5 Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. It consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adam Levine, rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, lead guitarist James Valentine (musician), James Valentine, d ...

and

Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran ( ; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...

, respectively.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. All Time Low *

Alex Gaskarth Alexander William Gaskarth (born December 14, 1987) is a British-born American musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and primary songwriter for the American rock band All Time Low since its formation in 2003. Early ...

– vocals, guitar, creative direction * Jack Barakat – guitar, creative direction * Zack Merrick – bass guitar, creative direction * Rian Dawson – drums, percussion, creative direction Additional contributors *

Ted Jensen Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' '' Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''. Early life ...

– mastering *

Neal Avron Neal Avron (born December 31, 1965) is an American record producer, mixer, audio engineer, and musician. Working predominantly in rock music, Avron began working on records in 1993 and achieved his production breakthrough when he co-produced Ev ...

– mixing *

Zakk Cervini Zachary Joseph Cervini (born June 2, 1993) is an American record producer, vocal producer, songwriter, and mixing engineer. Cervini's work includes collaborations with Simple Plan, Limp Bizkit, Blink-182, All Time Low, Machine Gun Kelly, Yungbl ...

– mixing * Andrew Cook – creative direction, design, layout

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2023 albums All Time Low albums Fueled by Ramen albums