Rewind back to 2013 and you would have found Australia’s Tonight Alive at the top of their game, from festival appearances and sold out headliners to grasping the opportunity to be featured as the main soundtrack to a Hollywood blockbuster. It seems things couldn’t have gotten any better for the female-fronted pop-rockers. Blink to present day and it’s been a gruelling 3 years since the quintet from down under released anything beyond 2013’s ‘The Other Side’, but this is all about to change with ‘Limitless’.
Produced by David Bendeth (Paramore, BMTH, Breaking Benjamin) ‘Limitless’ kicks things off with the galactic ‘To Be Free’; with punchy drums and riveting guitars mixed with Jenna McDougall’s hearty  vocals, it makes for a strong start. Halting the momentum created by the opening track with ballads ‘Oxygen’ and ‘Human Interaction’, which both ooze 90’s inspired pop-rock, they continue to push the sound further away from the rebellious material created in their early days.
McDougall has explained Limitless as a “record that is just as much about redefining boundaries as it is about challenging the illusory concept of boundaries itself” and in this, third single ‘How Does It Feel’ succeeds. By warming the temperature up from the what we’ve heard so far, its arena-worthy guitar thrashes, whiplash inducing percussion and addictive choruses make for a nice change from the emotive pop-rock we’ve heard so far.
The album highlight comes in form of ‘Power of One’, which channels a mixture of early 90s Natalie Imbruglia and Alanis Morissette. McDougall achieves a whole new tone to her voice which not only shows maturity beyond her years but allows both new and old fans to hear the potential which is otherwise overshadowed. ‘Limitless’ ends on a more sombre note with ‘The Greatest’, which as delightful as it is could have benefited on ending on a shout rather than a murmur.
What ‘Limitless’ lacks in catchiness when compared to their earlier material, it makes up for in lyrical maturity. From the strength behind McDougall’s vocals and the 90s influence throughout, to the overall refined sound the band have created for themselves, Tonight Alive have definitely pushed all limits for this album. If you’re ready to let go of all your preconceived thoughts about Tonight Alive then you will thoroughly enjoy ‘Limitless’ and their new direction.
NICOLE TIERNAN