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A few years back, having had to endure All American Rejects in an early afternoon Leeds Festival Main Stage slot to secure position “down front” for Biffy Clyro, I wrote these guys off. Offering little more than tiresome lazy pop punk and using the same sample over and over again. Keyboards set to loop, Songs set to instill…boredom. Having ignored these guys and their quasi-infectious Get Up Kids style guitar pop, it is with complete abandon that ‘Move Along’ takes hold. Tribal drums and pulsating delay in the guitar line opens up the next three minutes and fifty nine seconds of anthemic borderline emo. Tyson Ritter has progressed vocally for sure and with this maturity of sound All American Rejects become instantly more listenable. For reference points, ‘Move Along’ would sit so sweetly with the more heartstring pulling moments of The Used debut album.
The programming is still there but not so heavily leaned on as before. There is even time for a rather cute “slow it all right down and address the nation with a choral backing” moment (approx two and a half minutes in…you can really feel the sincerity of the kids). To dismiss them completely may well have been an informed prerogative but on the basis of this single it would be a fool’s churlish oversight.
Reviewed by James Ainsworth
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