Album Review: The All-American Rejects, Kids In The Street

23 January 2012

by Loretta D'Urso

“It sounds like the All-American Rejects finally got their shit together and wrote a record that was going to keep them around.” In a recent interview, lead singer Tyson Ritter has flawlessly captured the quintessence of the All-American Rejects’ new album Kids In The Street.

It seems the band have plucked the grittiest guitar riffs and the catchiest refrains from their previous albums and mellded them into a creative congress that pushes the boundaries of their pop/punk/rock image. The album emerges after the band’s 2010 trek through Canada and the USA, touring with the Warped Tour.

The skinny jean-clad kids who rocked to Dirty Little Secret and Gives You Hell (which spent two weeks at #3 on the ARIA chart in 2009) and who drizzled tears listening to It Ends Tonight may be surprised with the innovative new album. After attending various writing retreats throughout the isolated USA, Nick Wheeler (lead guitarist) and Ritter returned to work with producer Greg Wells on the upcoming record. Wells has previously worked with the likes of Adele, Katy Perry and OneRepublic, and his vast experience has made a clear aural impression on Kids In The Street.

The bold icebreaker Someday’s Gone will turn lips skyward with its catchy introduction exhibiting snippets of Ritter’s heart palpitating falsetto. However it’s the Beekeeper’s Daughter, the first single to be released from the upcoming album, which will haul you to your dancing shoes. The brassy loops that pave the way to the dirty sweet chorus of ‘la da das’ will be sure to catch on to already bopping heads. The flaunt of brass merely previews the orchestration that follows throughout the rest of the album, something The All-American Reject boys are not shy to. Before the second half of the album comes to wake, Walk Over Me boasts its audacious perks through the band’s typical use of stunted electric guitar riffs and the tarnished smart-ass tone of Ritter’s vocals.

The second half of the album moves away from catchy onto more crafty material. It’s apparent that the overall ‘sound’ of the band has matured as well as the lyrical content which has ebbed from its naive roots. Ritter begins Bleed Into Your Mind with “How long has it been since I ripped you? These paper cut hands need to stop.”

Gonzo showcases yet another exhibition of Ritter’s vocal intensity, bringing the lush, embedded song home. It is these songs, like Bleed Into Your Mind and Gonzo, which may be quietly surpassed after listening for the first time, but they will indeed deceitfully hook you seeing a dutiful return to be captured by them again.

Affection showcases the flourished use of orchestration and the band’s ripened sound. The curtain-raising strings perform an alliance with a supple side of Ritter’s voice which is rarely heard. However, the snare sweeping brushes and Ritter’s waltzing timbre make way to a Queen-esque finale. The angst erupts and the strings are attacked by pummelling drums and slaughtered by electric guitars with the song closing amid a heart-wrenched falsetto overlaying piano and strings. This mini-musical number feels like a faultless album ending but the acoustic I For You is nonetheless the sweetest full-stop that lets you take a breath and digest The All-American Rejects latest creation, Kids In The Street.

Kids In The Street is out March through Interscope/Universal