American rockers return with a new album after fourteen years.
The All American Rejects always had a great ear for a single. They had some monsters over their initial run; ‘Swing Swing,’ ‘Dirty Little Secret’ and ‘Gives You Hell’ all instantly leap to mind. They were an almost instant success with their debut album going platinum and they are an old enough band to have shifted 12 million copies of their albums. They have also maintained audiences on streaming despite barely being active over the last decade.
Their fourth album, Kids In the Street, came out in 2012. They never officially stopped, the odd stand alone single or performance happened along the way but it has taken them years to complete an album. There are several suggestions that an entire album worth of material may have been scrapped along the way as they were not happy with it. Last year they embarked on the House Party Tour – playing small intimate shows in a wide range of surprise venues including bowling alleys, barns and college campuses. It seems to have re-energised them as their first album for fourteen years is less a nostalgia act and far closer to being the highlight of their career. “In the last couple of years, we really found ourselves as we are, which is a blue-collar rock band,” says Tyson Ritter (vocals, bass).“We busted our asses on Warped Tour in 2003, and we didn’t quite fit in there. The emo bandwagon tried to hitch us on that ride…We sort of rode in the backseat. For a long while, we were very estranged from everything. We hadn’t put out a record in forever, and there was a lot of soul searching. More than twenty years into this, something interesting has happened. Our name has become a badge of courage the longer we’ve worn it. We’re really proud of what we are right now as The All-American Rejects and the music we’ve made.”
Sandbox is a mature album from a band firing at their peak. It does all the things they were always great at – catchy tunes, great rock hooks, pristine indie-pop vocals and a huge sense of fun – but it also sees them now able to slow things down and write something a bit more serious, a bit more intricate.
It comes out of the gate fast, ‘Easy Come, Easy Go’ starts with a Hot Hot Heat vibe before the guitars come roaring in for the chorus. ‘Get This’ drives along with solid, crisp production. ‘Search Party’ slows it down a bit with an odd whiff of melancholy running through it. ‘King Kong’ is that classic brilliant All American Rejects single that they manage to create on each album.
‘Eggshell Tap Dancer’ has another zinging chorus. ‘Green Isn’t Yellow’ demonstrates that new found confidence to make a quieter, simpler track powered by a simple acoustic guitar line. ‘For Mama’ follows a similar approach, it might just be the highlight of the album. A mournful piece of brass cuts through with precision over some impressive harmonies. The final minute takes it up a notch and it sounds beautiful. ‘Sandbox’ on one level refers to the band being quite happy to play in their sandbox, creating imaginatively without fear. In the song it is more about soldiers in a desert environment, an anti-war message with a human edge. ‘Staring Back At Me’ finishes the album in style.
This is a very strong return from a very distinctive band. The music is sharp, Ritter’s vocals have never sounded better. They are at Download next month and have a show in Manchester and London that have both sold out.
Essential Tracks: ‘Eggshell Tap Dancer,’ ‘King Kong,’ ‘For Mama’ and ‘Staring Back At Me’
Leave a Reply