All Time Low, a pop punk band from Towson, finally broke their musical silence this past week by premiering a new music video for their song “Missing You.” The song was featured on their most recent album, “Future Hearts,” which was released in April of 2015.
Alex Gaskarth (lead vocals and guitar), Jack Barakat (guitar), Zack Merrick (bass) and Rian Dawson (drums), formed the band in 2003 and have consistently toured and released new material for the better part of 12 years. Six studio albums, televised performances such as the 2015 MTV Fandom Awards, and countless tours and headlining shows later, their silence is more so an assurance than unsettling for their fans.
The “Missing You” video itself shows the band skyping fans all over the world in February, thanking them for supporting their music. What makes this video unlike most these days is that the fans have the chance to tell the band how much their music means to them in return. This video and the lyrics themselves holds a greater message that All Time Low is always there for their fans, even through the occasional hiatus.
In a statement accompanying their video on their Facebook page, the band told fans that they “made the ‘Missing You’ video as a way to connect” with them; “to emphasize just how powerful music can be in bringing people together. It exists to let everyone know that they are never alone.” Music isn’t just about the music, and that in itself is something All Time Low understands best.
They’re great communicating with their fans, which is seen through their interactions on Twitter and their creation of an exclusive merchandise membership called the “Hustler Club.” They mentioned to them directly that this video and song “at its core, is about connection, and the community we’ve built around this band. It’s a call to everyone feeling a little messed up or singled out. This video shows that we’re all in it for the same reasons, because with music, and this amazing community, we don’t ever have to feel alone.”
All Time Low is always more than ready to share their hometown pride with fans and has frequently made a point to end their tours in the city that helped make them into the band they are; they even wrote a song titled “For Baltimore” on their 2012 album, “Don’t Panic.” They began performing some of their very first shows in a former Towson venue called “The Recher,” and were the closing act of the very last show held at the venue in March 2013.
The band’s next scheduled concert date is May 21 at the Baltimore Preakness InfieldFest with The Chainsmokers, Fetty Wap and a few other artists. Other than a hometown show, their upcoming tour dates are scarce to none with only one other U.S and two European shows.
They spent the majority of 2015 touring for the Future Hearts Tour and the Back to the Future Hearts Tour, so it is only fair that they take time for themselves. A similar hiatus was seen in 2014, which led to their new album “Future Hearts,” which does anything but disappoint.
For fans, this silence may seem uncharacteristic, but it is definitely not a bad thing. It can only mean that their next album and tour will be well worth the wait.
