 With this album, Conley's lyrics started becoming morbid and corporeal, and the style of music changed into a more pop punk sound.Aged 19 and 20, he started listening to the Beatles and has cited them as the main influence for "In Reverie".During the writing of Sound the Alarm, Conley was heavily influenced by Bad Brains, The Damned, The Misfits and The Stooges.