All Time Low and Pale Waves capture the anxiety of our moment with “PMA”
All Time Low have teamed up with Pale Waves to release “PMA.” The single was produced by longtime collaborator Zakk Cervini and serves as the first collaboration between the two bands. Read more: Billie Eilish’s much anticipated LP ‘Happier Than Ever’ is here–listen “PMA” is an exposé of emotional transparency in the wake of COVID-19. […]
“PMA” is an exposé of emotional transparency in the wake of COVID-19. A shorthand for “Post Modern Anxiety,” the track feels like the perfect conclusion after a year-and-a-half of uncertainty.
Our new track PMA is out now! @palewaves thank you for lending your talents to this track and making it so magical. We hope this song can ease your mind for a few moments, we’re all going through it #PostmodernAnxiety
The combination of optimistic instrumentation and reflective vocals that solidified All Time Low as a pop–punktour de force in 2006 are on display in the new track. Vulnerable yet remarkably relatable lyrics about isolation such as “I dumb it down with Jeopardy and late-night TV/And I don’t even like it” give a contemporary context to the song while driving riffs provide a timeless edge.
The track has more pop-punk elements than is typical of Pale Waves, but that didn’t stop lead singer Heather Baron-Graciefrom putting forward an excellent performance. As melancholy rhythms ebb and flow, the singer’s melodic delivery creates an image of melatonin losing its touch and the fear of fireworks.
All Time Low lead singer Alex Gaskarthsays the track addresses the longing and anxiety related to isolation.
“‘PMA’ is a journey into isolation and overstimulation,” the singer says in a press release. “It’s about the little mundane things we do to keep ourselves distracted when loneliness becomes a constant and leaves us feeling apathetic. It’s existential dread wrapped in nervous laughter kissed by the SoCal sun. Heather and Pale Waves joining us on this one quite literally brings the hopeful shine to the lyrics, the promise of safety in the shared experience, the understanding we’re all living it together.”
“I was really happy that Alex asked me to be on the track as I’ve always been a big fan of All Time Low,” Baron-Gracie adds. “[I] loved the song when he sent it over. I really related to the themes, especially the exhausting worry that you’re never doing or being enough in life.”
Both bands are scheduled to go on tour after a year of isolation. While Pale Waves’ U.K. tour isn’t scheduled until February 2022, All Time Low have scores of shows in summer and fall 2021. A contest is being held for two people to win tickets for the sold-out New Jersey Sad Summer Fest, which the band will headline alongside the Story So Far. A portion of each entry goes to the LGBTQ Freedom Fund, which pays bail for LGBTQIA+ individuals in jails and immigration facilities. You can enter the contest here.
The Maine and Grayscale will join All Time Low for the first round of tour dates. nothing,nowhere. and Meet Me @ The Altar will appear for the second half. You can get tickets for All Time Low here, Pale Waves here and find tour dates for both bands below.
What do you think of All Time Low and Pale Waves’ collaboration on “PMA”? Listen to the track and drop your thoughts in the comments!
All Time Low tour dates:
08/06 – Sacramento, CA @ Sad Summer Fest 2021 08/07 – Anaheim, CA @ Sad Summer Fest 2021 08/08 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren 08/10 – Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom 08/13 – Kansas City, MO @ KC Live! 08/14 – St. Louis, MO @ Ballpark Village St. Loui 08/15 – Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom 08/17 – Dallas, TX @ South Side Ballroom 08/18 – Austin, TX @ Stubbs 08/20 – Orlando, FL @ Sad Summer Fest 2021 08/21 – Atlanta, GA @ Sad Summer Fest 2021 08/22 – Nashville, TX @ Marathon Music Works 08/24 – Norfolk, VA @ The Norva 08/25 – Harrisburg, PA @ XL Live
08/27 – New York, NY @ Sad Summer Fest 08/28 – Baltimore, MD @ Sad Summer Fest 08/31 – Columbus, OH @ Sad Summer Fest 09/01 – Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theater & Ballroom 09/03 – Asbury Park, NJ @ Sad Summer Fest 09/04 – Worcester, MA @ Sad Summer Fest 09/05 – Philadelphia, PA @ Sad Summer Fest 09/07 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Sad Summer Fest 09/10 – Milwaukee, WI @ Sad Summer Fest 09/11 – Pontiac, MI @ Sad Summer Fest 09/12 – Cincinnati, OH @ The Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center 09/15 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater
09/16 – Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theater 09/18 – Las Vegas, NV @ Daytime Stage @ iHeartRadio Music Festival 09/18 – Las Vegas, NV @ Life is Beautiful 09/22 – London, UK @ O2 Academy 09/23 – London, UK @ O2 Academy 09/26 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo 09/27 – Glasgow, UK @ Barrowland Ballroom 09/28 – Glasgow, UK @ Barrowland Ballroom 10/12 – New Orleans, LA @ Orpheum Theater
10/13 – Birmingham, AL @ Avondale Brewing Company 10/15 – Richmond, VA @ The National 10/16 – Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz 10/17 – Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore Charlotte 10/19 – New Haven, CT @ College Street Music Hall 10/20 – Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom 10/22 – Toronto, ON @ HISTORY 10/23 – Grand Rapids, MI @ GLC Live at 20 Monroe 10/24 – Louisville, KY @ Old Forester’s Paristown Hall 10/27 – Sioux Falls, SD @ The District 10/28 – West Des Moines, IA @ Val Air Ballroom 10/30 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fillmore Minneapolis 10/31 – Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theater 11/02 – Edmonton, AB @ Union Hall 11/03 – Calgary, AB @ MacEwan Hall Concerts 11/05 – Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theater 11/06 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater 11/07 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox 11/10 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater 11/11 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium 11/12 – San Diego, CA @ Humphreys Concerts By The Bay
Pale Waves tour dates:
02/11 – Bristol, UK @ O2 Academy Bristol 02/12 – Cardiff, UK @ The Great Hall, Cardiff Uni Students Union 02/13 – Nottingham, UK @ Rock City 02/14 – Birmingham, UK @ O2 Academy Birmingham 02/16 – Bournemouth, UK @ O2 Academy Bournemouth 02/17 – Leeds, UK @ O2 Academy Leeds 02/19 – Belfast, UK @ Limelight 02/20 – Dublin, IE @ The Academy, Middle Abbey Street 02/21 – Glasgow, UK @ O2 Academy Glasgow 02/23 – Sheffield, UK @ O2 Academy Sheffield 02/25 – Leicester, UK @ O2 Academy Leicester 02/26 – Oxford, UK @ O2 Academy Oxford 02/28 – London, UK @ Roundhouse 03/01 – Manchester, UK @ Victoria Warehouse 07/07 – Madrid, ES @ Mad Cool Festival 2022
“PMA” lyrics:
Time to face up to the inevitable I’m terrified I’m losing it from staying at home I dumb it down with Jeopardy and late-night TV (And I don’t even like it) Safe to say I’m glad I’m not the only one (And I don’t have time for all this time I’m wasting) What are you trying to fix me for? Maybe I’m broken But I’m not sure Am I depressed or am I just bored? Apathy and irony postmodern anxiety Tell me you’re OK “Yeah? What’s that like?” Rose-tinted glasses It must be nice Doing your best Living your best while you die inside
Apathy and Irony; Postmodern Anxiety I don’t mind the fireworks that keep me awake (But they still kinda scare me) I don’t think the melatonin works at all My moneyplant’s dying and the dust is collecting (And my therapist hates me) It’s Monday morning, sleeping through the wake-up call What are you trying to fix me for? Maybe I’m broken But I’m not sure Am I depressed or am I just bored Apathy and irony And postmodern anxiety Tell me you’re OK Yeah? What’s that like Rose-colored glasses It must be nice Living your best while you die inside Apathy and Irony and Postmodern Anxiety