The All-American Rejects

Mall-pop doesn't get much glossier than The All-American Rejects. The band's last album Move Along garnered three Top 10 hits for the Oklahoma guys, and the formula hasn't changed much since then: anthemic major-key riffs, angst-laden lyrics and a driving 4/4 beat.

"Gives You Hell" is the first single off When the World Comes Down, the band's third full-length, and it's just as snotty as pop-punk needs to be. Frontman Tyson Ritter tells off a girl who dumped him, spitting out lyrics like, "You're still probably working at a nine-to-five pace / I wonder how bad that tastes." In most genres, chastising someone for breaking up with you before you got rich and famous would seem a little self-indulgent and bratty—and it is—but that's pop-punk for ya. It makes you wonder, though: if the band keeps singing about its newfound fame and fortune, will the kids still connect to 'em? That's been the downfall of many a rapper who's gone from rags to riches then started rhyming about just the riches. Sure, there's an aspirational aspect to how a lot of teen-agers connect to their musical idols, but still…

Regardless, When the World Comes Down is an easy-to-digest pop record aimed at the teens who eat this stuff up. It's kind of timeless in its simplicity, and pulls on past acts like the Descendents, Blink-182 and Millencolin, but there's a little ambition in there too that separates 'em from the pack—check those string accompaniments and occasional disco beat, perfectly suited for a video game soundtrack. It's not too different from Move Along, but then again, it doesn't need to be either.

—Chris Hassiotis
02.03.09

Building off the same formula that made their previous album, Move Along, a success, the All-American Rejects filled 2008's When the World Comes Down with zippy emo-pop and thick layers of studio gloss. The result was a slick, manicured album that extended the band's hitmaking career, due in no small part to the Top Ten single "Gives You Hell." ~ Andrew Leahey, Rovi