They continued to write music amidst global shutdowns; over the course of two years, the band wrote an estimated 30 songs, some of which became tracks on Tell Me I'm Alive.

[2] Vocalist Alex Gaskarth and guitarist Jack Barakat stated that many of the album's themes, such as loneliness, were drawn from emotions and experiences they had witnessed during the pandemic.

[3] In an interview with the Daily Express, Gaskarth described the album's sound as an "amalgamation" of Last Young Renegade and Wake Up, Sunshine.

[3] He stated in a separate interview with Recovery Magazine that many songs on the album were influenced by artists like Queen and Elton John.

acknowledged the band's growing maturity and praised Gaskarth's vocals, but noted that the music style shifted from pop-punk to pop rock and unfavorably compared songs "New Religion" and "Calm Down" to works by Maroon 5 and Ed Sheeran, respectively.