''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 Wales ...

band

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

. It was released on March 17, 2023, by the label

Fueled by Ramen Fueled by Ramen LLC is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by 300 Elektra Entertainment. The label, founded in Gainesville, Florida in 1996, is now based in New York City. History John Janick conceived of the lab ...

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 single ...

'' in April 2020 coincided with the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, 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 format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...

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

Last Young Renegade ''Last Young Renegade'' is the seventh studio album by American pop-punk 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 or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

and

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

Reception

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

Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...

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

pop-punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti-suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other pu ...

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

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 currently consists of lead vocalist Adam Levine, keyboardist and rhythm guitarist Jesse Carmichael, lead guitarist James Valentine (musician), James Valentine, drummer Matt ...

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 14 December 1987) is an English-born American singer and songwriter. 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 2 ...

– 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''. Biography Ted ...

– 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 Eve ...

– mixing *

Zakk Cervini Zakk Cervini is an American record producer, vocal producer, songwriter, and mixing engineer. He was born in Monroe, Connecticut on June 2, 1993. Cervini's work includes collaborations with Simple Plan, Limp Bizkit, Blink-182, All Time Low, Mach ...

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

Charts

References

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