All-American Rejects - Kids in the Streets Review

Following the flop that was When The World Comes Down, it’s safe to say that The All-American Rejects definitely had some making up to do when it comes to realising their next album, Kids in the Street.
I know that my opinion will now become even more unpopular with all the “music reviewing professionals”, but, to me, this album was amazing, and actually seemed to recapture the energy and emotional lyricism which I felt that their previous album lacked.
Track List
     1.       Someday’s Gone
     2.       Beekeeper’s Daughter
     3.       Fast and Slow
     4.       Heartbeat Slowing Down
     5.       Walk Over Me
     6.       Out the Door
     7.       Kids in the Street
     8.       Bleed Into Your Mind
     9.       Gonzo
   10.   Affection
    11.   I for You
Starting with an erupting punk-twang of music, Someday’s Gone really sets the bar high for the remainder of the album. It catchy, playful and probably even relatable for the bands teenage audience base.
A majority of the songs do seem to be very feel good and summery, to the point where it feels weird listening to them in the winter. To an extent, the remind me slightly of Panic! at the Disco, who also have a very quirky, summer-punk vibe.
A sense of effort is actually portrayed within the vocals and instruments, which adds a more refreshing sound the album. This is a key issues I had with their previous album, so it’s nice to hear a little bit of passion in the music again.
Heartbeat Slowing Down is a heavily criticised song, largely due to the lyrics “I fucking hate this town/ I wanna burn it down”. According to many, these lyrics are overly basic and are clearly appealing only to teenage angst. This may be the case, but that doesn’t stop the emotion and passion that drips off the vocals. This is a song which I still, to this day, can relate to, and which never fails to give me a kick of motivation. I don’t know if it’s just because I’m still a teen, or because I live in a shitty town where a lot of bad things and heartache has happened to me, but I personally feel this song is one of their strongest, and one of my favourites.
After this slower song, the punky energy is back. Although there are a couple of lyrics here and there which I find to be a little bit generic, I feel like the song writing has still improved. If I’m honest, none of the other songs really stand out to me. I feel as though Affection is quiet a nice little song; however, none of the songs really pack a punch. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, in fact, the album all works very well together. It may not be the greatest album ever made, but it was certainly a vast improvement from the last one!




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