All Time Low have graced us with another album, a new era with plenty of sunshine and a great message to “Wake up, Sunshine. Somebody loves you for yourself.”

Wake Up, Sunshine is the eighth studio album from the band who were signed at the tender age of 17 years old. It’s been a wild ride for band and fans alike since then. It seems like there’s a nod to this in the first track and single on the album ‘Some Kind of Disaster’ when vocalist Alex  Gaskarth sings “I woke up from a never-ending dream / I shut my eyes at seventeen”. Fans were quick to spot the connection between previous material from other eras in this song, with a helping hand from the band and a certain show’s setlist as they seemingly drew inspiration from ‘Heroes’, ‘Dirty Laundry’ and ‘Canals’ all in the first few lines of this punchy anthem.

Talking about ‘Some Kind of Disaster’ Gaskarth said, “It was one of the first tunes we wrote in Nashville, I scribbled the words down in a notebook. I liked the vulnerability of confessing your sins. It’s an ode to the band, to the fanbase, and to starting over again. It’s an opening statement that references things I’ve said over the years as well. We wanted to write something big and anthemic and present All Time Low to the world again. This was it.” They certainly succeeded and what we are left with is one of the standout tracks on this record.

The boys have been releasing songs every couple of days and in track order. So far we’ve been treated to six tracks and they’ve been met with great reception each and every time. ‘Melancholy Kaleidoscope’ is one such gem, it’s catchy and almost addictive in every kind of way. This is an album slightly longer than their last offering so fans will still have nine songs to look forward to uncovering themselves on release day. A highlight out of these songs is ‘Monsters’ featuring blackbear. The song is a lot darker than the other offerings on the album and it pushes forward a different sound, one that All Time Low hopes shows off their progression and taps into something deep and emotional. Somehow even though it stands out as very different then the other tracks on the record it still fits perfectly in its place on the lineup.

This record also sees The Band CAMINO make a guest appearance on track ‘Favourite Place’, an upbeat song that will draw you in and get your toes tapping. In general, each track is its own little ray of sunshine and this truly is a summertime album. Not just in the sense that it’s perfect for summertime but in the way in which it encapsulates summer vibes and brings everything the world loves about summer right into the room. This very yellow-defined era is much needed in the current climate and it has come to save us from our own gloom. The four boys who are the perfect accompaniment to each other have joined together to bring us something beautiful.

It’s obviously true that All Time Low have wonderful friendships with each other that have stood the test of time. In fact, if All Time Low were a superhero then their undying friendship would be their superpower. When talking about the album Gaskarth said, “We really tapped into the chemistry between us, everybody brought something to the table. A lot of what you’re hearing came from those magic moments together.” You can definitely hear how in tune with each other each member is in the band, it comes out in their recordings and leads to perfectly constructed and delivered songs.

Every All Time Low era so far has been awesome. A fact that on the one hand is a great testament to the boys as a band and on the other hand it’s a lot to live up to. Many fans have them high up on a pedestal and that all too often ends with a fall. It must be hard to be up there so close to the sun as there’s always the possibility of getting burned. Thankfully this is not the album to break their impressive streak of excellent releases. The record is one to pick up and constantly spin until the real summer arrives and beyond.