The All-American Rejects self-titled debut album celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Originally released in 2002 via Doghouse Records, the album was then re-released on February 4th, 2003 by DreamWorks Records.

To mark the anniversary the album is released on an exclusive color 1LP+7” configuration. Featuring some of the band’s most famous songs, The All-American Rejects contains such breakthrough singles like the addictive “Swing, Swing” (peaked at #8 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks in the United States"), the explosive “My Paper Heart,” and the punk-fueled “The Last Song.”

As a bonus, the reissue will include a special 7” with two new versions of classic songs: “The Cigarette Song (Acoustic Version)” and “Don’t Leave Me (Demo).”

For me, the album is vaguely reminiscent of one of my all-time favorites, Candy’s Whatever Happened to Fun?, in that underneath the deceptively simple and upbeat song structures lie serious emotional themes. Lyrics and key words are repeated - breathe, fade, cheating, crying, away - and so forth, but that isn’t an issue as they slot in perfectly to the overall musical masterpiece that this album most assuredly is.

In fact, it’s almost as if they wanted to create an epic album, as evidenced by the full production and dramatic vocals, but when they got to the lyrics department they couldn’t think of anything except how much some girl hurt them. And that’s kind of a cute premise, if ultimately a bit melodramatic. And yet, it works to near perfection.

Now, I understand that pushes the record dangerously close to hideous emo, and maybe in the lyrics that’s fine. But rest assured that this is musically closer to Jimmy Eat World (great band) than Dashboard or any similarly styled artless bleeding heart garbage!

It doesn’t hurt that the band was so clearly tuned in to the classic pop-rock of Rick Springfield and Def Leppard at that time of recording either, and this album should appeal to fans of those artists as much as any of the teen beat stuff that was also around back then.

Side A:
1. My Paper Heart
2. Your Star
3. Swing, Swing
4. Time Stands Still
5. One More Sad Song
6. Why Worry

This fully immersive recording opens on the falsetto vocals, emo 101 of My Paper Heart and the Def Leppard meets classic Elvis Costello balladry bounce of Your Star, and then comes the much deserved hit Swing, Swing, another raging success in Time Stands Still (where the acoustic lead in gives way to a monster chorus), the side rounding out on the melodiously upbeat track One More Sad Song, and the power pop neo-classic, sincere instrumental/lyric gem Why Worry.

Side B:
1. Don’t Leave Me
2. Too Far Gone
3. Drive Away
4. Happy Endings
5. The Last Song

Flipping the vinyl LP over, for that is one of my most favorite things to do, we next get brought forth the fake synth-pop/punk-ish guitar riff, fun drums and sing-along chorus of Don’t Leave Me and the soaring love song Too Far Gone, and they are then backed by the honest pop-rock of Drive Away, the pop-punk, riffing leads of a disjointed, almost at times stripped-down Happy Endings, closing on the radio-tuned, orchestral-imbibed, at first, optimistic, in a sense, albeit from a defeated standpoint, The Last Song.

7” Single:
A1. The Cigarette Song (Acoustic Version)
B1. Don’t Leave Me (Demo)

“A lot of our contemporaries make a big deal to break up, and we get it; it’s probably good for their psyche to draw a line in the sand, but we’re never gonna do that,” lead vocalist Tyson Ritter says. “As much as we might have going on in our lives, the one thing that we can all agree on with The All-American Rejects is that we’re never gonna stop doing this.”

Founded in 1999 out of Stillwater, Oklahoma, the band has released four albums, countless hit singles, like “Move Along,” “Dirty Little Secret” and “Swing, Swing,” and has toured alongside legendary rock bands such as Blink 182 and Bon Jovi. Starting as teenagers, their self-titled album was a defining moment for the band, which ignited the fire of indelible pop-rock hooks.

Released in 2002, the big wave of pop-punk music exploded, with Fuse, MTV, and TRL leading the charge. The band gained momentum with their debut album, never afraid to expose their honest thoughts and genuine selves, making songs relatable to teenagers across the globe.

The All-American Rejects is Tyson Ritter (lead vocals/bass), Nick Wheeler (lead guitar/backing vocals), Mike Kennerty (rhythm guitar/backing vocals), and Chris Gaylor (drums). Their self-titled debut album is re-released August 25th, 2023 via UMe and is available on exclusive 140g color vinyl and coke bottle clear 7”.

Official Purchase Link

The All-American Rejects - Swing, Swing (Official Music Video)

www.allamericanrejects.com