Cat Hill

All Time Low has certainly hit theirs. Their most recent album, Nothing Personal, isn’t anything I expected from this band. All of the songs, save two, sound extremely similar and the two non-generic-pop-sounding tracks are so depressing. It’s hard to listen to them and not get into a melancholy state. This is a 12-track train wreck.

A majority of the songs on Nothing Personal do not have the same honesty that All Time Low’s two previous albums had. The first two albums talked about being yourself, hanging out with friends and being the youth of today. However, these new tracks blend into each other and into the generic pop-punk scene. Also, there are two extremes to this album. It’s either extremely emotional or extremely hyper. There are no mellow, yet positive songs.

One song, “A Party Song (The Walk of Shame),” carries the same old story about breaking up then finding someone else. Big deal. Another track, “Break Your Little Heart”, talks about how breaking up with your significant other can be fun and entertaining. The only song that I find decent is “Hello, Brooklyn” because it focuses on having a good time and being with friends.

Now, this record did catch on. It was a high seller at Warped Tour 2009. But that’s because the songs themselves are catchy.

Admittedly, I have found myself singing along to these songs, but does that qualify it as “good music?” No, it does not. Just because there are catchy beats doesn’t mean that a song is of good quality. All Time Low’s previous albums had incredibly catchy sounds too, but they also had honesty; they showed heart from the musician. That is something I just didn’t feel from this album.

I am disappointed in Nothing Personal. It didn’t make me feel anything except anger. I have to give this album a 3/5.

Sorry, All Time Low, you sold out – nothing personal.