The All-American Rejects, Kids in the Street (2012)

Kids in the Street, The All-American Rejects (2012)

I'm absolutely loving this album at the moment. I was a bit skeptical at first, some of the songs on the last album had been a bit average, but I was really surprised with this effort.

I've always followed The All-American Rejects since their breakthrough (their most first really famous single probably being Dirty Little Secret) and their music is really addictive. But this album combines Pop/Rock tunes.

Beekeeper's Daughter is a bright and free song, makes me want to smile and dance, it's so upbeat! The video is really funny as well, I'd recommend a look if you've got the time.

Then you have the more Rock riffs like Walk Over Me which I had on repeat for quite a while. It's a bit hard to walk down the street and not want to headbang a little bit... Well to not look like a right dick while doing it. Especially the solo part when the guitar really breaks out, it's quite simple but break out the damn air guitars!

Heartbeak Slowing Down was quite a shock when I fell in love with it, it's quite pessimistic but beautiful (I fucking hate this town // I wanna burn it down // I've never felt so cold). Just looking at that lyric it seems unneccessarily depressing, but it's a song that makes your heart ache, a mix of love and hate. Don't leave this on repeat for too long, it really starts to get into your head after a while... But luckily Walk Over Me is right after to bring the mood right back up!

Gonzo, another track and how to explain the feelings when I listen to this? It's got a feeling of nostalgia, resignation, but also this overwhelming feeling of hope. It's triumph, uniting to overcome the loneliness that can sometimes come over us in this day and age. It's about moving forward, finding beauty in life. Gives me a proud feeling up whenever I hear it, I just want to go out there and live life, to rediscover what was once new.

Other highlights for me were, Bleed into Your Mind, Drown Next to Me... Oh who am I kidding, I pretty much loved the entire thing. Highly recommended, a mix of beauty, love, hate and downright fun.

The only downside for me was the title, it's taken from the track of the same name on the album, Kids in the Street. I found this track to be dull an repetitive, too cliche and overdone. Affection also bugged me.. It sounded like a song that needed to be on a romantic comedy or something, not at all fitting on the album. Although I have to admit, I did like the ending when the guitars really kicked in. But hey, the amazing songs outweigh the few crappy ones.

I find myself on a ride, these guys really take you into the feelings of these songs until you just get this upwelling of emotion. Sometimes I want to  go out and hug a stranger, sometimes I want to rock out, and sometimes I just want to say "fuck you" to that guy and continue dancing my heart out with a big goddamn smile on my face.