Ah yes, a sandbox that’s not just for kids is finally HERE! The All-American Rejects’ newest album, “Sandbox,” dropped today and I couldn’t be more excited! Let’s talk about the highlights of AAR’s newest record in 14 years, one that Tyson Ritter describes being about “reconciling youth, having to stand on your own two feet as an adult, and facing the (oppressive) outside world” according to Alternative Press. In true rejects fashion, the band puts out yet another album that provides comfort and relevance with everything going on in our lives. Let’s dive in!
Easy Come, Easy Go
Okay, I can totally see why this is a hit single on the album. It is super reminiscent of “I Wanna” and is about the rough patches that can come up in relationships even after a long honeymoon phase. “Easy Come, Easy Go,” I feel is a very common way of experiencing friendships in adulthood as we are no longer in school anymore and may have lost touch with a lot of people we grew up with, so long-lasting relationships can be super hard to form with everything going on in our lives, whether it’s work, kids, significant others, etc. I love the mixed pacing in the song from slow to fast and back again, it’s a fun listen with a cool and catchy chorus!
Lemonade
Wow, this song is quite a pivot from the traditional rejects sound, but I’m so here for it! It’s a very moody track about being very frustrated at where you are in life and not knowing which direction to go in, and the lyrics and overall tone of the song is just genius. I love the metaphors that lemonade represents and the echo effects used on Tyson’s voice really works here and makes the song extra cool. Well done.
King Kong
This song is a pretty, catchy tune about the pitfalls of hanging around the wrong crowd in your young adult life, losing yourself and finding yourself again when returning to your roots back home. This experience is something that can be all too familiar as we experience the pains of growing up and maturing. The King Kong figure is a brilliant representation of Ritter’s monster that is LA, and is something we can all attribute our own personal monsters to. This track also has one of those highly melodic choruses that get stuck in your head, making you sing”You’ll always be around to let me down,” over and over. I highly recommend this one!
Green Isn’t Yellow
This is a beautiful acoustic tune with a country twang about the band’s experience growing up in Oklahoma according to Alternative Press. The visuals in the song are unmatched as it immediately draws you into the midwestern countryside in 1996, and makes you reminisce about childhood and all we learned from our elders. While this song may not have the extra production effects of many other rejects songs, the simplicity of the guitar and Tyson’s voice alone adds an extra layer of depth to the track that truly makes it a stand out.
Eggshell Tap Dancer
Eggshell Tap Dancer is…unique (in all the best ways!) What a beautiful way to talk about people pleasing and emotional abuse as alluded to in the lyrics. I am blown away by this pivot from the traditional rejects sound, I’m actually obsessed with the jazz rock marriage that is happening in this song! The tap sounds in the intro and the sirens in the outro are *chef’s kiss.* We’ve found the hidden gem of the album here!
Staring Back at Me
This track is wild! It’s got an extremely melodic intro that will be playing pleasantly in your head for days. It is also a very creative song with elements of EDM about the craziness of being stuck in one’s own mind, yet it delivers the same grittiness that tracks like “Stab My Back” brought us from older AAR albums. The originality of this track (like many others on the album) is quite impressive, and I definitely want more!
Sandbox
See my review of the song here!
Wow, once again, while these are just album highlights, the maturity, originality, and of course, relatability of the record really shines through! The genre-blending, clever metaphors and lyrics, and experimental production was outstanding! I am so very pleased with how All-American Rejects (some of my childhood heroes) have evolved as a band and can’t wait to see what they do next. Check out the rest of the album here!
Till Next Time!
XOXO,
Meagan