Music

Alex Gaskarth, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for pop-punk band All Time Low, says the group’s new album, Everyone’s Talking, out October 17, was inspired by the 20th anniversary shows they were playing in 2024. “There was such an outpouring of love and support from the fans, and that invigorated us to start writing new material,” he says. “We were impassioned.”

The release of their newest record makes 10 albums in 20 years, roughly an album every two years, an accomplishment many recording artists are unable to achieve. 

Formed when Gaskarth and lead guitarist Jack Barakat were in eighth grade in Towson, Maryland, the group took its name from the New Found Glory song, “Head On Collision,” which was, as Gaskarth admits, “the best sounding band name on a list of pretty mediocre potential band names.” As Gaskarth and Barakat both learned guitar and jammed in the comfort of each other’s bedrooms and parents’ basements over the next couple of years, they met drummer Rian Dawson. “At that point, it really started to feel like we had a band, so naturally we needed a bass player.” Eventually, Zack Merrick joined on bass. 

All Time Low released their debut EP, The Three Words to Remember in Dealing with the End EP, in 2004, followed by The Party Scene in 2005, the band’s first album. 

They were still in high school. 

“Between Homecoming and Algebra 2, I guess we fit in some band practice,” Gaskarth says.

Once they graduated, Gaskarth and his bandmates focused their energy full-time on the band, releasing their next album, So Wrong, It’s Right, in 2007, followed by the group’s first tour in 2008. 

While So Wrong, It’s Right wasn’t necessarily a commercial success, it produced the fan-favorite song, “Dear Maria, Count Me In.” 

It wasn’t until they released their third album, Nothing Personal, in 2009, that the band began to see widespread fame, with the album selling 63,000 copies in its first week and debuting at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. 

All Time Low continued churning out records over the years, all with varying degrees of success. 2020’s Wake Up Sunshine, however, marked the release of the album’s fourth single, “Monsters,” featuring singer-songwriter-producer Blackbear, which became the highest-charting song of the band’s career. 

Now, with Everyone’s Talking, Gaskarth says that the new album is a nod to the marketing process and “the need to drum up a groundswell to get people paying attention again.” 

Two years can be an eternity in the lifespan of a band, invoking a need to stay relevant in whichever way it can. After 20 years, All Time Low has been able to achieve that. But Gaskarth says that staying relevant is only part of being successful; it’s also about “recognizing that as a human being, you’re putting yourself through his public tumble-dryer every time you step into the spotlight. The whole album wrestles with those themes. It’s an exploration of self within the context of being in a band for 20 years.”

Here’s a Day in the Life of All Time Low’s Alex Gaskarth.

Date (when you are writing this)  September 23, 2025

Time I woke up  8:00 a.m. 

Every day starts with  A series of yawns followed by some doom-scrolling, mild existential dread, and then a vast appreciation for another day on this planet.

Breakfast consists of  Today it was a crappy coffee from a highway truckstop, an energy bar, and half a chocolate glazed donut. But I swear, usually it’s way more chic, healthy, and mindful.

To get going I always listen to  Prince.

I don’t feel dressed without  A hoodie and a hat with the brim pulled down for that low-key stealth vibe where it feels like maybe I’m still in the womb.

Before I start working I must  Endure.

Currently working on  Finding a place to do laundry.

But I’d really love to be Finding a place where someone else will do my laundry.

Book I’m reading  Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson.

I don’t know how anyone ever  Makes it through a day without at least one little sweet treat.

If I had to play one album on repeat, it would be  Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon.

The perfect midday consists of  A second (or third) coffee and a really good sandwich.

To help get through the day  The sound of a loved one’s voice.

Not a day goes by without speaking to  My wife.

My daydreams consist of  Ambition, longing, whimsy, faraway places, a really good slice of pizza.

I’ll always fight for  Trying to do the right thing. 

Currently in love with  Small, potted succulents.

Hoping to make time to watch  The next sunset.

By my bedside I always have An unopened sparkling water that I forget to drink.

To help get through the night  A small amount of THC.When I think about tomorrow I hope for a better future for all the lovely people.