To say that I've been waiting a long time for this album to come out is definitely an understatement. Since he left Blink-182 in 2015, Tom DeLonge has been teasing that he's been working on new music, and while the EPs that came out between 2015 & 2017 were great, a lot of fans had been waiting for another full album. And at long last, we got that album just yesterday with Lifeforms, and it did not disappoint. A conscious effort by the band to return to their more classic sound while also incorporating post-hardcore elements, this album combines the best parts of both old and new AVA. So with that in mind, let's take a look at all the songs that this album has to offer. As a reminder, these are just my own personal opinions on the album, and aren't meant to be a generalization of the album's quality.
1. Timebomb
If you're a die-hard AVA fan like myself, you know that "Timebomb" was potentially the most anticipated song from Lifeforms. Tom teased it back at the tail end of 2019 when he tweeted about a documentary being made about the band. While said documentary still has yet to be released, fans were dying to hear more of "Timebomb" after getting a taste of its synth-heavy intro. News on the song went dark though until the intro was used again in the album announcement video in June of 2021, but aside from some live performances, the song itself didn't officially release until 2 days before the album. Boy was it worth the wait though.
Lyrically addressing teenage anxiety, this song has classic AVA written all over it. From a stretched out synth-heavy intro, to soaring upbeat vocals and powerful instrumental sections, "Timebomb" has the same energy as many other great openers to their albums ("Call to Arms" & "Saturday Love"), and will make you feel like conquering the world all while having a smile on your face.
2. Euphoria
For almost the entire time Lifeforms was being recorded, there was one thing you could expect Tom to say about it; "these songs sound like Box Car Racer". The side-project that he and fellow bandmate, David Kennedy, played in back in 2002 with Blink-182's Travis Barker has often been seen as the precursor to AVA, but Box Car Racer always leaned more on the post-hardcore/pop punk side, while AVA has usually been more space rock/synth rock. "Euphoria" is the song though that begins to blur those lines. Tom has recently been pretty vocal about there not being enough guitars and aggression in modern music, and it sounds like he really wanted to capture a sound that was reminiscent to Box Car Racer and other post-hardcore bands.
Euphoria does just that from the second it starts. The guitars are loud, aggressive, and in your face, and we can't forget about that epic bass line from the band's newcomer, Matt Rubano. On top of all this, we still have some great synths layered over everything, and Tom's vocals are perfectly balanced with all of it.
3. Spellbound
Before Lifeforms, AVA's most recent album was 2014's heavily experimental The Dream Walker. The album saw the band take a major shift in their sound, going more downbeat and heavily amplifying synthesizers. Seems like this paid off, as the album wound up being their most critically acclaimed at the time. "Spellbound" is a song that heavily echos the style that The Dream Walker had. It's probably the slowest song on the album, and lets the guitars have a break so that the synthesizers can shine.
In all honesty, this is one that I'm still warming up to. I made the decision to not listen to it when it came out ahead of the album because I didn't want to hear more than half the album before it came out. That said, when The Dream Walker came out, I also had to warm up to one of its synth-heavier songs, "Kiss With a Spell", so it's probably just a matter of time.
4. No More Guns
I honestly think this is one of the most different songs that AVA has ever done. Almost the complete opposite of "Spellbound", "No More Guns" completely turns off the synths in favor of some of the spunkiest and good time pop rock tunes I've heard from a band. The guitars are bouncy and mesh really well with the drums, and the pre-chorus bass line is super cool. That said, make no mistake; this song is pretty serious. As you can probably guess by the title, this song is directly about gun violence in the United States, and wanting it all to stop. AVA most of the time avoids political topics like this, but the world is definitely a crazy place right now, and it sounds like Tom felt it was important to take a stand, and really voice how he feels about all of it.
5. Losing My Mind
If you thought "No More Guns" was about the world being a crazy place, just wait until you hear this song. "Losing My Mind" is another very blunt message with the title, in which the song is about everything wrong in the world right now (COVID, gun violence, racial inequalities, etc.) driving a person completely insane. The song opens with a quieter, but absolutely killer bass line followed by some cool whispering vocals, but once you get to the pre-chorus, the song begins its explosion into an absolutely epic banger. And let's not forget the hilarious music video that introduced us to Disco (the older brother of Boomer from the video for Blink-182's "First Date").
I definitely think this is a contender for best song on the album. It really captures everything that made the band so captivating in their early years, but does it in a way that still feels new and fresh.
6. Automatic
Back in 2017, AVA put out an acoustic EP that reimagined the first 4 songs from their debut album, We Don't Need to Whisper. It was a really beautiful take on the songs, and I actually wound up liking some of the new versions better than the originals. "Automatic" feels like it draws heavily from that EP, as it's the only song on the album to use an acoustic guitar. What I really liked about this song is how it's able to connect the other songs on the album. To be completely honest, I still kind of feel that "No More Guns" is a bit out an outlier on the album, but paired with "Automatic", it feels like it has more of a place here. It's also been really nice to see the band use an acoustic guitar more in the last few years, as it's something they're really good at.
7. Restless Souls
And here we are; my favorite song on the album. The second I heard the chorus of "Restless Souls", I instantly was taken back to Love & Love Pt. 2. The shifts between soft synths and epic guitars are like candy for your ears, and let's not forget the overall uplifting nature of the song. There really isn't much to say here; this song is amazing on every level.
8. Rebel Girl
To think that this song came out back in 2019 is still crazy to me. I still remember the day this song came out, I probably listened to it 30 times in a row. After waiting 3 years since they put out new songs (2016's Chasing Shadows) and progressively becoming more disappointed by modern Blink-182 songs, "Rebel Girl" was a beacon of hope for me. That synth melody throughout the entire song was the coolest thing to me, and it made me so excited to hear more.
9. A Fire in a Nameless Town
It's the only song that I'm really on the fence with. Much like "Spellbound", "A Fire in a Nameless Town" takes a more synth heavy direction. The main difference here is that it's incredibly hard to hear the instruments (if they're still present). This makes the song feel a bit more EDM, which is a genre the band has dabbled in with their 2020 collab with DJ Illenium on "Paper Thin". That song though still featured the band's classic guitar arrangements, which is why I can get around the more dance-like sections. Overall, it feels like one of the weaker songs on the album, but who knows. Maybe it'll just take some time.
10. Kiss & Tell
When Lifeforms was announced, I was incredibly surprised to see that "Kiss & Tell" was the closer. It had always given me a more early album song vibe, but after hearing the album in whole a decent number of times, it definitely is the strongest contender for closer. The final chorus arrangement is really what sells it, but on top of that, it's a high energy song with great guitars that makes for an awesome wrap-up to an album that set out to put guitars at the forefront.
Final Verdict
Like I said at the start, Lifeforms doesn't disappoint. Tom set out to make an album that brought fans back to that early AVA style before The Dream Walker, but also blast them in the face with post-hardcore guitars, and for the most-part, he does that. There are a few synth heavier songs the can drift away from the heavier guitar concept, but it wouldn't be the band without those. While it doesn't out-perform my all-time favorite album by them (I-Empire), I can definitely see Lifeforms going down as one of their best records.
Score: 8.5/10