If anyone ever looks into my high school music collection, they would find many bands, song and albums that I do not listen to as often now. 

One band I have listened to since my freshmen year of high school in 2006 was All Time Low.

There are many reasons why I still love this band and the songs they create; they haven’t gotten into any huge scandal, they haven’t broken up and they do a lot for their fans. 

Plus their songs always have a certain feel to it that you don’t have to look up who it is singing the song, you know it is them.

They released a new album,“Future Hearts,” a little less than a week ago and let me tell you they do not disappoint.  They are the same band, but there is something different, a good different.

When I listened to them in high school they sang about the same problems I was going through, along with every other teenager out there.  They do the same thing to me now at the age of 23.

They sound the same, but the lyrics and the meaning behind them feel more mature.  I’m not saying their past stuff was childish; they just grew up.  It feels like they grew up with me.

The songs in the past were good, but they were stuff other bands sang about.  There was a story behind it, but it was a story everyone else was telling. 

Now there is a more unique story, a story of what happened to them after all the basic high school drama stopped mattering, even though it didn’t really matter in the first place.

There is more substance to the story they are telling through their album.

A few songs on the album called “Tidal Waves,” “Missing You” and “Kids in the Dark” show this especially.  Even their tone of voice is more mature compared to their older songs.

What I like most about the album is that it feels they grew up with not only me, but also the fans that have listened to them since their song “Dear Maria Count Me In,” made them who they are today.

The last two songs, “The Edge of Tonight” and “Old Scars/Future Hearts,” show through their lyrics how they have grown up from their previous songs.

All Time Low, you have pleased me once again, making me fall in love with music all over again.  You have without a doubt made me realize how a story can be turned into not only a song, but also a whole album. 

They do what artists did in the past and the fact that there is still a band out there that does this kind of music makes me happy and have hope that real heartfelt music is still alive and well.

Stephanie White is a junior journalism major.

She can be reached at 581-2812 or at sewhite2@eiu.edu.