The long-awaited Angels & Airwaves album “Lifeforms” is equally ambitious and engaging.
Plenty of Easter eggs here for “Poet Anderson” and UFO events.
Thematically, Angels & Airwaves “Lifeforms” covers the idea of consciousness, but it’s not a concept album like “LOVE” was, but more or a recurring, vague lyrical theme. It’s not all love and peace, as there’s also some discontent in the songs that hasn’t been seen since DeLonge’s punk rock days in blink-182. There’s stances against toxic masculinity on “Euphoria,” and an anti-gun violence rock’ n’ roll/ U.K. punk anthem on “No More Guns.” The frustration and weariness of a “world on fire” continues on “Losing My Mind,” which is an ambitious, catchy track that is different from anything the band has done before.
After years of fighting for To The Stars Academy of Arts and Science to help bring UFO transparency mainstream, and the constant negativity after a term of Trump-era terror, DeLonge addresses both in the line “Stop now what is this bullshit? ,I said we're not alone, and the government knows it, there's idiots abound, and they're all (expletive) racist” on “Losing My Mind.”
“Timebomb” starts the record, and expertly captures what AVA’s signature sound is- energetic, and uplifting. Sonically speaking, “Timebomb” is a song that lands somewhere in between AVA fan favorites “The Adventure” and “Heaven.” “Restless Souls” is a “LOVE” era throwback, but would benefit from a better chorus that isn’t in the same tune of “Dry Your Eyes” and “Everything’s Magic.” The band has teased demos for the past 3 years that aren’t on the record, which is disappointing because some of those demos sounded better than a few tracks that made the final cut. Hopefully, those songs see the light of day soon- maybe on “Monsters of California” soundtrack?
In an interview I did with DeLonge in 2008, he described Angels & Airwaves as an aggregation of all his favorite music like The Cure, Fugazi, and Descendents -“Lifeforms” feels like his goal has come to fruition.
From 2019 Angels & Airwaves tour in Houston.
By MIKE DAMANTE
Some previous AVA coverage
REVIEW: Angels & Airwaves, To The Stars rise up in Austin
If you are a fan of To The Stars, Mike Damante’s “Stranger Than Fiction” features interviews with Tom DeLonge, Nimitz UAP witnesses, and many more.
If you are a fan of pop-punk, Mike Damante’s latest book “Hey Suburbia: A guide to the emo/pop-punk rise” is out now, and features interviews with blink-182. Descendents, New Found Glory and others.