Last Young Renegade is the upcoming seventh studio album by American rock band All Time Low. It is set to be released on June 2, 2017 and will be their first release with Fueled by Ramen.
Hello Alex, good to have you and your Band ALL TIME LOW back! Please introduce yourself to our German readers who might don’t know you well.
ALL TIME LOW: Hey! I’m Alex and I sing, play guitar, and write songs for All Time Low!
You recently played two special shows here in Germany. How was it? Did the German audience treat you well?
ALL TIME LOW: The shows were great! We’ve always been treated very well in Germany, and this was not an exception! Big thanks to everyone who came out and made the shows so special.
Please tell us your biggest surprise as you visited Germany? Where, what and how you deal with it?
ALL TIME LOW: I’m always really pleasantly surprised by how many people know our music in Germany. We’re half-way across the world, playing in cities we don’t frequent enough, and somehow there’s this enclave of incredibly passionate people ready and willing to spend their hard-earned money to come and hang out with us, sing along to our songs, and make a night of it. I’m forever grateful!
Some members of the band are having lots of tattoos, what motive was the first one and which one is the most important one?
ALL TIME LOW: We are all tattooed, that’s right! My first tattoo was something kind of ridiculous (A Skeleton dressed as a Skeleton for Halloween,) and I think I just wanted to make a statement in absurdity. I’d say the one that means the most to me is the rose tattoo on my hand, which is a bit of a dedication to my brother.
What music you listen to and which bands have inspired you while working on your own songs?
ALL TIME LOW: We listen to such a wide variety of music between the four of us. At any given moment we could be listening to Chvrches, Kendrick Lamar, Third Eye Blind, Metallica, N’Sync, Pink Floyd … It’s really all over the place. Whatever feels good in the moment, I’d say!
On the new album, we were really inspired by music that felt nostalgic and reflective to us; I was going back and listening to a lot of Bowie, Prince, Depeche Mode, The Cure— But also Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana… Music I grew up listening to.
In what age you started learning an instrument and how long did it takes to be self-confident to get on stage and play the songs you like?
ALL TIME LOW: I played guitar for a little while at a very young age, but kind of got bored and gave it up. I picked it back up when I was about 13 and started learning to play my favorite songs– That’s when it connected for me like I wanted to be doing that all the time. I’ve always been musically driven, always singing in school choirs, so I think it came pretty quickly when I finally set my mind to learning.
What kind of hobbies do you have in your spare time and how much of them are left after your life turns into a professional career as a musician?
ALL TIME LOW: I still snowboard whenever I can. Been wanting to get into rock climbing again, which is something I used to do as a kid. We play a lot of „backyard“ sports in the band, like Flag Football too. I think even with the busy touring schedule and music pretty much dominating our lives, it’s still really important to find other things to do in the free moments.
Let’s speak about your latest record, called „LAST YOUNG RENEGADE“. What is the title about? And how long did it take to produce the record?
ALL TIME LOW: The title centers around a character we created to help drive the story of the album, and the record itself took about a year to write, record, mix, and master. I’d say I spent about 6 months writing songs, and then maybe 2 months actually in the studio shaping everything into what you hear on the record. From there it’s a lot of chasing down the right mixes and dynamics to wrap the whole thing up.
What makes this record special for you this time?
ALL TIME LOW: We wanted to make something reflective and very visual. I think all of the songs feel very textural, and when we were recording the songs, I wanted to be able to close my eyes and be taken to specific places. The record is about coming of age, and finding yourself which has been a journey all through our 20’s culminating in this. The record’s really special to me because it succeeds in making me feel nostalgic about where we’ve come from and what we’ve been through to get here. It’s a journey, for sure!
It is the very first release on your brand new label called Fueled By Ramen. What reasons drives you for a change and what makes the releasing process different with the new label?
ALL TIME LOW: We felt like now was the right time for something new! Our contract with Hopeless Records was up, and Fueled By Ramen felt like a place we could transition to and continue to grow the band. The labels really made the transition easy and smooth, and it’s been a pleasure getting to work on this first album with FBR.
Please point out your most beloved top three songs on the new album and tell us what is the story behind them?
ALL TIME LOW: Wow, this is a really tough one because they’re all still so new! I think maybe „Life of the Party“, because it explores some darker tones and themes for me, „Good Times“ feels really timeless and special – I think it’s a song that’s going to really resonate with our fans; and finally „Afterglow“ because it’s something different and really stylistic for us, I can see it being an incredible live track.
One of your first pre-released songs will be ‘Dirty Laundry‘. In what age did you have left your parents house and start living on your own including washing your dirty laundry?
ALL TIME LOW: I’d say we all started living on our own around 19-20 years old. Before that, we were on tour so much that we all pretty much lived out of our van, but we’ve been doing our own laundry all the while! Haha
I expect especially when you guys are out on tour all over the world there is a lot of fun but in the tour bus as well. Who in the band is funny part and what kind of crazy stuff you are doing when you are bored in front of the show or a day off? Wanna you tell us a weirdest or funniest story?
ALL TIME LOW: There’s a lot of weirdness that goes on when we’re bored and waiting for a show to start or something, but it’s really hard to pinpoint one specific thing. For a while, we were really into Mario Party, and we had turned it into a bit of a drinking game, (after the shows of course…)
We had all these elaborate rules for when you had to drink and why, and I’m pretty sure after a while even rolling the dice was a required drinking moment. We’re idiots. 🙂
The artwork of „LAST YOUNG RENEGADE“ is very impressive and full of little details such as media, a Chinese dragon, a white dull and chat bubble and a liquor bottle. Which artist is responsible for the artwork and what is the story behind it?
ALL TIME LOW: Sam Spratt did the artwork based off a long conversation we had exploring the themes and elements of the record. We wanted to give it a worldly feel, because the band has been able to see so much of the world together. From there it’s meant to represent all the trials and tribulations one goes through in life, the outside noise and all the distractions we face in getting to where we want to be. It’s all about cutting through the noise and becoming your best self, and Sam really nailed that visually.
You surely currently preparing yourself for the upcoming worldwide tour. What makes touring through Europe different to playing shows in Japan? And are there any places in the world left you would like to put your musical footstep to play a show in future?
ALL TIME LOW: It’s all different given that the cultures have such an impact on the shows. In Japan, the crowds are very quiet between songs, and you have to remind yourself that it’s normal there, but then they get just as crazy as anyone else once the song starts. Germany has always been a really supportive market for us, despite and the growth there has always felt really natural and based on word of mouth. I see fans coming to our shows now that have been coming to shows in Germany for years. It’s a very cool feeling.
Finally, we would like to know your Top 3 music bars in your hometown area which you can recommend for a Friday evening to have a beer with good music?
ALL TIME LOW: There are some great ones in Baltimore alone! Jack works with a bar called the Rockwell (www.therockwellbaltimore.com) which is worth a trip. Out in LA I’d say EmoNite (emonite.com) at Echoplex or my favorite, and very relevant bar, Dirty Laundry! (dirtylaundrybarla.com)
What were the last 3 records you bought?
ALL TIME LOW: John Mayer, Kendrick Lamar, and Paramore! They’re all amazing.
This summer in Munich we will see Bands such as Green Day, Rancid and Blink 182 here in Munich. Is there something you like to know from these bands?
ALL TIME LOW: Can I have guest list to all your shows, please?
Thank you very much for your time. I really appreciate it. The last words for your fans are yours.
ALL TIME LOW: Thank you to everyone who continues to support this band!! Can’t wait to come back.
Interview with Marcus Liprecht on 17 May, 2017
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