Connecticut’s All That We Are - A better blink-182?
Imagine if Mark Hoppus was capable, or interested, in making a band with a grand sound. What do you think it would sound like? It wouldn’t be too far off from blink-182 or (+44), incorporating all the pop rock elements we’re familiar with, but it might incorporate some of the larger than life elements of Tom Delonge’s Angels & Airwaves. Maybe there would be more layered, subtle production elements.
Listening to Connecticut’s All That We Are makes you wonder what Mark and Tom left on the table. Maybe they were only scratching the surface of what was possible with their divergent musical visions. What could have happened if they found ways to harness their interests and grown together? Could that have prevented blink from growing stale? Had they, and blink-182 collectively, been trapped in a stylistic dogma? The Seymour band counts blink as their major influence, and by studying All That We Are’s latest EP More Reminders of the Past, we can catch a glimpse of all that blink could have been. In a lot of ways, All That We Are, studied disciples of Mark, Tom, and Travis, takes a foundation borrowed from their idols and builds upon it. In some respects, More Reminders of the Past is an acoustic reimagining of some of the All That We Are’s previous work, breathing new life into old favorites.
As a life long fan of blink-182, I find it hard to write about All That We Are without constantly referencing the California band. By their own admission, All That We Are is “heavily inspired” by blink. How heavily you might ask? Singers Amar Lapastica and Justin ‘Riku’ Almodovar sound exactly like Mark and Tom.
Ex. Act. Ly.
The melodies they sing, the inflections they use, and how they sing in harmony mirror their blink counter-parts almost exactly. It’s uncanny, really. I imagine them really learning to sing while belting the lyrics to blink’s 2003 untitled album.
The first track off of More Reminders of the Past gives us our first look at what could have been. “Different Path” finds the middle path between Angels and Airwaves and blink-182, taking long-time staples of pop-punk and arranging them with bits of space rock along the way. “Throw Back,” a song about moving on after heartbreak, follows along in this same vein. Immediately, the quality of the production is striking. This is an underrated piece of the puzzle that can set DIY bands apart, and given the galactic sensibilities All That We Are incorporates, it’s important.
“A Way Out” presents a shift in the album, as the final five records are more acoustic based. By the time we reach “Husky Life,” All That We Are is taking the best elements of their influences and adding their own stylistic flavors that bring things to a new level. “A Way Out” and “Husky Life” both give listeners a richness and depth that is often lacking in the pop punk genre All That We Are inhabits. The band still incorporates all the angst your soul yearns for, and provides a touchstone for true blue fans of the category. As a UConn graduate, I also love the conversation dropped into the bridge of “Husky Life”:
“Why ‘Husky Life,’ though?”
“I like huskies.”
“Alright. We don’t have a mascot other than the UConn Husky, so…”
“Right. Let’s just write a song about the college life.”
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. We love a Connecticut Stan.
“After Midnight” picks up the pace a little bit and more closely aligns with classic pop rock or pop punk. The acoustic performance softens the edges and gives the record, along with the other acoustic tracks, a nice warmth. There’s another nice side effect as well. One criticism of pop rock bands over the years is that they’re whiny or annoying. This has certainly been a criticism of Tom Delonge’s singing voice, as well as bands like Simple Plan, among others. All That We Are avoids this problem, in part because of the added warmth of their unplugged sound, but also because Lapastica and Almodovar are just better vocalists.
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The final track, “A Reminder of the Past” is the culmination of the entire project, combining fragments of the band’s entire musical landscape. As a whole, A Reminder of the Past is an interesting snapshot of All That We Are. It is easy to recognize the pop punk aspects of the band, from parts of their sonic profile to the lyrical content, even extending to their name. However, they are also distinctly different. In spite of their claim of being inspired by “fast paced punk rock” at no point does the EP move beyond a comfortable rate. The majority of the work explicitly carries the “acoustic” tag. The similarities to blink-182 and other masters of the genre are certainly visible and worth discussing, but All That We Are might be more than they realize. More Reminders of the Past carves out a space that, while not completely new or unique, is absolutely niche. It presents differently than previous releases like their single, “Bitter” that fits nicely into the pop punk box. Listening to their older catalogue, their inspiration becomes more understandable, but there is still something to be said about their new experimentation. It will be interesting to see how the band continues to grow and develop their sound, but A Reminder of the Past carries a surprising amount of musical depth and range. Listen to it today.
A Reminder of the Past is available for digital purchase or CDthrough the All That We Are BandCamp page along with the rest of their discography. Their music is also available for streaming via your favorite music platform.
Michael Stroneski, editor at mvsicthovght, has started several blogs and multi-media projects you’ve never seen. He is a life-long cheerleader for Connecticut and underground music. You can reach him at contact@mvsicthovght.com.