Album Review: The All-American Rejects, Sandbox

Hot Press has always had a soft spot for these aptly named refugees of the MySpace boom. Despite being deemed too loud for the pop crowd and not vicious enough for the punks, these proud musical misfits carved out an impressive career as a chart-busting, multi-platinum selling oddity.

Perhaps best described as America’s answer to Ash, The All-American Rejects are back with fifth LP, Sandbox. An opus about self reflection and resilience, it’s infused with confidence and camaraderie, after a successful stint playing free guerilla gigs in fans’ houses.

Now fully independent and armed with a truckload of feel good earworms, their first record in 14 years is a blast. The sound of a band who have finally figured out who they are, with no fucks given about whether they fit in or not, there’s much to enjoy on this return to form. The pleasingly noisy ‘Easy Come, Easy Go’ and groove-filled ‘Get This’ are particularly tasty, while the folksy ‘Green Isn’t Yellow’ proves they haven’t lost their flair for penning outsider anthems.

Full of optimism and energy, the album they “never thought they’d make” has turned out to be one of their best.

8/10