All Time Low are living the dream. A scruffy quartet of Baltimore kids who nailed their first recording contract before they graduated high school, they have since become as recognizable a pop-punk band as their heroes Blink-182 and New Found Glory. Now they’re avoiding college in style, writing tunes about sex and drugs—lately found on their third full-length, “Nothing Personal,” from Hopeless Records—and hauling around the country in a tour bus stacked with mad antics.
“It’s been a crazy fast roller coaster,” guitarist and lead vocalist Alex Gaskarth told Metromix by phone, before heading out on the first Glamour Kills tour, sponsored by the fashion brand of the same name. The tour also features We the Kings, Hey Monday and the Friday Night Boys.
You got signed right before graduation from high school. That must have been a trip.
It happened literally months before we were supposed to graduate. We had been talking about pursuing the band, and putting a hold on college, but our parents were a bit hesitant. But once we had that contract on the table, it became more of a legitimate idea. So we were really lucky. We signed in February 2006, and graduated in May.
“Nothing Personal” stretches out a bit more than your last two full-lengths. Dare I call it experimental?
I wouldn’t necessarily say that, but it was definitely a change for us. All along, we’ve been a pop-punk band inspired by Green Day, Blink-182 and Jimmy Eat World. With this record, we wanted to push the envelope a little. You still get that sound we’ve grown up playing, but there are songs are where we try something new. What makes me most proud of this record is that there’s something for everyone. Songs like “Therapy,” “Too Much” and “Lost in Stereo” are tunes you haven’t heard us write before. It was a way to separate ourselves from the hordes of bands within our genre.
Is that why some of the songs sound Auto-Tuned?
We actually don’t use a lot of Auto-Tune on our records. Every song has some pitch correction, because that’s the standard. I’ve specifically requested that the producers don’t use it, but there’s a big misconception about it. The big difference is between the Kanye and Akon sound, and the much more subtle correction you hear on every other album. I think it’s tacky to hide behind it. I take pride in my singing; I think using it like a crutch is cheating.
You co-wrote a song with Blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus, but it didn’t make the album. Any plans for it?
Right now, we’re working that out. It didn’t fit the vibe of the album. If the two of us could get back in the studio, that would be phenomenal. It was a great experience working with Mark.
You headlined a tour called the Compromising of Integrity, Morality and Principles in Exchange for Money Tour, while this one is called Glamour Kills. What’s the next one going to be called?
We really want to do a Intergalactic Prophylactic Tour, where we spoof the Beastie Boys in terms of the stage [setup]…but then we tie in a sexual awareness theme. It would be another excuse for us to talk about penises onstage.
Any thoughts on being the Glamour Kills brand’s first sponsored tour?
It’s a company that we’ve sort of come up with. We’ve known the owner Mark Capicotto for a long time, and we remember when he literally had four T-shirts. We were one of the first bands he ever sponsored, and we’ve both kind of had a large degree of success considering where we started.
I dig some of the song titles. “Keep the Change, You Filthy Animal” is a winner.
The “Home Alone” reference was crucial. The song was written, it didn’t have a name, and I couldn’t think of what to name it. I decided to name it after a line from one of my favorite movies.
Another great one is “The Walk of Shame.” What’s the worst one you’ve ever witnessed?
Oh man. Not to say that this occurs often, but when there are bus hookups on tour, we all have this game we play. As the hookup is coming to an end, we’ll all sit on couches at the front of the bus, as the lucky couple exits with all of us clapping. The tune is sort of based on that.
Classic. The artwork on the “Nothing Personal” CD has a picture that features all four of you flipping off the camera. Do your fans love the abuse?
I think so. In this day and age, people are loving abuse more and more. Especially on the Internet. But we tend to get ourselves in trouble more at shows than online.
