The All-American Rejects

Editorial

There must be a million different pop/punk bands in the US. You gotta figure that every neighbourhood has at least one band practising in a parent's garage - and that's out in the middle of nowhere. Go to a real city and you'll find punk bands on every street corner; two on every street corner in Orange Country. So yeah, a lot of bands, a lot of competition - and that's not necessarily a bad thing. For a band to actually break through all that nonsense and establish themselves in their own right, they obviously have to be doing something right. All-American Rejects are one such band.

Formed in Oklahoma in 2001, the band were the local neighbourhood's obligatory punk act. Eight years and three albums later, they're a multi-platinum success. Whether it was luck, talent, or some freakish combination of the two, they're one of the bands that have managed to distinguish themselves from the rest of the crowd.

The group released their self-titled debut in 2002 and saw it sell over one million copies thanks to the hit single, Swing, Swing. This was followed up by the multi-platinum Move Along in 2005 and last year's When the World Comes Down. Their music may veer towards the pop end of the punk spectrum, but that suits their fans, their accountant and the band just fine.
Mikolai, July 2009