Love: Part One

Taking a break from playing with Angels & Airwaves for the reunion of Blink-182 in 2009, production of the third album went slowly and was eventually shelved until Tom returned to the studio after Blink's summer tour. The Love project was to come in two parts, with Tom stating that Love part 1 was still in the spirit of Angels And Airwaves progressive rock sound, but more thought out and ambitious than previous albums.

Love does indeed start with the sound that has come to be associated with Angels & Airwaves, but from the moment the swooping, uplifting synth intro of 'Et Ducit Mundun Per Luce' starts playing, there's an air of something far more intricate going on. It's as if the concept of Angel & Airwaves has finally grown up, spread its wings and taken flight with the band even more comfortable in their musical skin. Love has the courage of its convictions - it sets out to bring soaring progressive rock tracks to life, and it does so magnificently. 'Flight Of Apollo' is a sure-fire stadium crowd-pleaser, with electronic elements and a hook that doesn't give up. It's Pink Floyd meets Tangerine Dream, all wrapped up with the catchiness of U2. 

There are far more synthesiser moments on this album, more electronica, with each song more upbeat than the last as the album progresses from the soaring 'Flight Of Apollo' to the full on rock track 'Hallucinations', which has a 30 Seconds To Mars feel to it. With more depth and texture to these tracks than the band accomplished on I-Empire, Love has some surprises in store, with a sudden shift in tempo mid-album. Just as the first half of Love is upbeat, so the second half leads to surprisingly darker tracks with 'The Moon Atomic' and 'Letter To God Part II' being particularly lyrically profound, exploring Tom's deeper thoughts on life and humanity. 

Love was released on Fuel TV, and Modlife free of charge in February  2010, with the first single 'Hallucinations' released two weeks later. A remix of the single by Mark Hoppus was given to fans who had donated to the band on the release of the album, but this remix is no longer available. It received mixed but generally positive reviews from critics, charting at #67 on the Billboard chart when it was released on iTunes in 2011.

Love Trailer

Love Trailer