All Time Low started out as a high school cover band in Baltimore and developed into an emo pop group.

During their school breaks they toured across the East Coast of America, performing live shows which often involved silly strings and other interesting items which rounded out their energetic, punk and rowdy sound. By March 2006 they were signed to Hopeless Records and by this time they had graduated and were focusing on music full time. They were named Band of the Year in 2008 by Alternative press, this prompted their second album in 2009 “Nothing Personal” which debuted at number four on the Billboard Charts. The band currently consists of Alex Gaskarth, Jack Barakat, Zack Merrick and Rian Dawson. 

There is a great intro to this track that initially sounds like an advert you might hear pop up on Youtube, but it hits you hard when the main part kicks in with a complex guitar rhythm and drums that shout at you to listen to them and they're really clear in the recording. What All Time Low does well is play some great pop punk, but gives it texture and a complexity that reinforces their title as one of the top bands in the world. The chorus takes you up a notch with a characteristic higher pitch, but the trick is to make it an ear worm that uses melodies that don’t patronize the listener, but keep them simple enough to sing along too, and ‘Melancholy Kaleidoscope’ does this wonderfully, with harmonies to fatten up the sound and gives us more evidence of the high quality musicianship that is evident amongst this band - this song ticks every box that they should be aiming for. 

With great individual music lines, a catchy melody and really high energy, Melancholy Kaleidoscope is a refreshing bright song that gives us a real glimpse into the talent of All Time Low and will be a song that'll get played frequently for a long time to come. 

 Pop     Punk     Rock 

Author: Phil Arnold

Phil Arnold is a musician, producer and music reviewer from Devon, in the South West of England. Whilst not writing music reviews, Phil also writes and records under the name of Ugbrooke.