All Time Low are back! Guitarist Jack Barakat talks label changes, ‘Don’t Panic’ and summer festivals.
You should have seen All Time Low by now. The foursome grace Australia with regular visits, and are back again for Soundwave in 2013.
"We're really stoked," says Jack. "I don't even think we're supposed to be on Soundwave, but we were like, wow, this lineup's awesome! We tweeted AJ and said, ‘can you please put us on these shows?’"
The band's ever expanding back catalogue means there's more to choose from every time they return. Jack reassures us that older songs will make an appearance - even if some fans are too young to recognise them.
"We play ‘Coffee Shop’ sometimes, and not everyone knows it. Festivals are always difficult because we have five albums, so we're trying to squeeze songs in there, but we also talk a lot. We always close with ‘Dear Maria’... not to ruin any surprises."
New album ‘Don't Panic’ is arguably their most important release, and finally rises above the pop/punk formula. Jack agrees that it was make or break time for All Time Low.
"’Dirty Work’ was a big album but not as big as ‘Nothing Personal’. There was a lot of pressure to make a comeback, and write a record that was going to solidify our fanbase. We drew influence from all our albums, and it worked. We didn't really know what to expect, and the reaction was overwhelming.”
After an experiment with Interscope, the band's decision to return to Hopeless Records is paying off.
"The major label had different expectations, and different views on what they wanted to do with us. It was something we weren't used to, but it was an amicable split," Jack explains. "I think Hopeless made the most sense out of all the record labels. We wanted to go with someone we knew would work, we didn’t want to do another guinea pig project again."
With their best album yet under their belts, All Time Low are reinvigorated and free to enjoy the ride.
"We're definitely going to take some time to tour the world. We haven't really played the new album live yet except for the US, so we've got a lot of catching up to do."
All Time Low play Soundwave at RNA Showgrounds on Saturday Feburary 23.
