The alternative rock band All Good Things is back with their 5th album A Hope In Hell after signing with Better Noise Records in 2019. All Good Things is perhaps sitting in the best possible position a rock outfit can hope for. Its monumental music has been featured in TV shows like Bones, Criminal Minds, Vampire Diaries, film and advertising all over the world.
The group, formed in 2013, consists of Dan Murphy (vocals), Andrew Bojanic (guitars, bass, vocals, keyboards, producer), Liz Hooper (bass, vocals, keyboards, producer), Miles Franco (guitars, bass, vocals), and Tim Spier (drums, vocals).
Photo: Travis Shinn
Having 13 tracks on the album, the band takes us through a ride of emotions starting off with Kingdom, a song that was already released in September 2020. Even though it's been a year since the single was released, starting the album with such a powerful song gives you the feeling of being in an alternative world. In the intro of the song I didn't think it would sound like a lot of the other alt.rock songs I listen to, but my opinions would quickly change. When listening to the lyrics I imagine myself as the queen and this is my battlefield. If I take it into real life, it gives me motivation to never let anyone step on you.
Moving on to the next track, we have Hold On. We now get this feeling of how life can be. Trying to find a relation to the lyrics, I think a lot of young people these days can relate. Life can suck, people tell you stuff, your mind makes you doubt yourself, but if you just hold on a little bit longer, good things will happen.
For The Glory, which is also a pre-released single, recently crossed 25 million streams on Spotify alone and more than 100 million on all platforms combined, and is on the album as the third track. Newly recorded featuring members from Hollywood Undead, the song is motivational and works as a reminder to never stop having hope. Sounding like a song that you would see in a movie where the heroes get ready for the battlefield to fight for the glory. The verse from Hollywood Undead is like the speech before the battle begins.
For the 4th track we have the song Sirens. A song that gives you a bit of the feeling of riding a bike through the woods on an adventure on the way to the lake. Running away from responsibility to the place you will feel free.
Do It Now featuring Hyro The Hero starts off with some heavy bass, guitar and trumpets which get you ready right away and you know that this will be a good song. As the title of the song says, Do It Now is about how you should, well.. do it now so you won’t look like a loser. Again I feel like this song is motivational and works as a reminder so you won’t look back and regret the things you didn’t do when you had the chance.
The sixth track on the album, Push Me Down, talks about how you can do whatever you wanna do to me but you will not be the one to beat me and make me give up. Giving me the feeling that this goes out to any haters who try to push AGT down, but they can't because they will rise stronger even after a fall in battle.
Machines is also a pre-released single and in fact the name of the album they dropped in 2017. Like the name of the track, the song talks about how things have changed and there is no way to change it back. How we all are machines made of steel. This makes me think of what they thought about while writing this. Is the world changing for the worse? Are we all becoming machines just doing the commands we are getting from the maker? Which I absolutely love, as I can sing along and still question the world.
As for Undefeated, which is track number 8, it feels like another inspirational song, slightly out of the ordinary considering AGT’s musical genre. That doesn't matter though, because while listening to the lyrics you get this feeling of “yes, I am not giving up.” In this battle we will be leaving the place undefeated and pushing ourselves to not give up. On top of the world we would be the winners.
From the beginning of Lights Out, I knew I was gonna like this song a lot, as it has some of the elements from the more techno music that I normally listen to. Then in the middle of the song we get the guitar riff which adds something to the song. Lights Out gives a feeling of a new fight approaching soon. Honestly I don't have much else to say on this track other than that I really liked it.
The Comeback featuring Craig Mabbitt of Escape The Fate came out in July and made it to the album, and this has kind of a funny meaning to me. Like the lyrics say in the song “are you ready for the comeback” it's like they are asking if we are really ready for the album that we just got. From the ashes they will rise and come for power. Another song that gives me the feeling of being aimed towards the haters, as if even though you thought fate was going your way, just wait and see, I still have things to do. In celebration of the new album, the band releases the music video for the song – an energetic visual experience, embodying the song's high-octane spirit.
Coming down to track eleven, Four Letter Words kinda gives me a heartbroken song vibe. They don't really say the word with four letters but they sing the line “I think I am in-” which is usually used to say when you are in love. How these feelings can make you feel like you are falling off a cliff with no control over what's happening, but you still give it your everything. Singing about how this is killing them, it gives the feeling of having to just go with it because pain still comes.
End Of The World first reminded me of their song Beginning Of The End which is on the Machines album. This song could either be like a “haha” towards the older generation about how we are gonna make it to the end while they may not, or that we are trying to fight for our future to actually see the end of the world. With things happening all around, will we ever be able to see the end of it, will we survive? Which made me feel kinda nostalgic and got me thinking.
A Hope In Hell is the last and final song on the album, with the same name. Singing about how everything is over but they still have hope, the only thing is that it is in hell and it's a long way down. Which is kinda similar to the saying of how it's dark but at the end of the tunnel there is always light when you get outside and through it. Listening to the song could make you sad, thinking about what you have been through, feeling helpless and like hope is a long way from here. One wrong step and you will slip but there is still hope, a hope in hell.
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After listening to the album multiple times I really enjoy it, while I'm either outside walking or just being home listening to it. With an imagination you can see a fantasy world to your liking and get lost in thoughts. Liz Hooper says that “The music is inspirational, it's motivational, it has elements of superhero and supernatural kinds of things” and I really do agree with that. Whether it is at a battlefield or if it is a fight in an alley in the rain, you can really use your head.
The 13-song album is loosely tied together around a theme of surviving the apocalypse, fights and haunted dreams, a concept born out of the many games and films that All Good Things have placed their music in, but which resonates with young people in the real world in an even more powerful way during the recent strange times we have been living in.
Especially since we are now living during this pandemic, a lot of the songs feel relatable. How will we survive this battle that this is and what will the end of it look like? So to conclude I really liked this album and the songs, and they will be playing often at home. Either while making food or cleaning while feeling powerful with a flowing imagination.
Listen to All Good Things' new album A Hope In Hell on Spotify and Apple Music now. Follow the band on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to stay updated!
Written by Eline-Jeanette Kleven
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