The All-American Rejects’ Tyson Ritter on band’s return: “There are no f*cking rules”

September 25, 2017

[Photo by: The All-American Rejects/YouTube]

The All-American Rejects have released a YouTube documentary, titled Rejected, to give a behind-the-scenes look at the band’s newest songs and talk about their five-year hiatus.

“Five years ago there was this moment like 'Man, let's put this thing on ice for a second. Let's go live a little life,'” vocalist Tyson Ritter explains. “You don't realize it, but you hide from yourself often just to appease others or function in this world as a ‘normal person.’”

Ritter explains that though they have been a band for years, their new music is the first music that truly feels like their own.

“I’m a budding artist that’s actually finding myself for the first time,” Ritter explains. “You get lost in your little bubble. I stay in my house. I play my piano. I don’t ever leave.”

He explains that when they were younger, the band was so concerned about being cool and doing the “right” things, but they didn't know where they wanted to go.

“When we were younger, everybody was so concerned about ‘Do I look good in this? Is this what I would wear? Is this cool?'” Ritter explains. “All these programmed concepts that we had to govern ourselves by. It was from the top down.”

They had to step away to figure out where they wanted to go next—and that's exactly what they were able to do.

Rather than fitting an AAR archetype, the band have rid themselves of any pre-set “checklists” and are creating the music they want to create.

No limits, no rules.

“I feel like I always had this checklist for a Rejects song: Has to be super catchy, have to have two guitars, have to have drums and this. I’m like no way—there are no fucking rules,” Ritter explains. “You get this experience where you feel like every song is this kaleidoscopic view of having this band find itself. Now, finally, this identity crisis is over, and we’re taking this back.”

Watch the full mini-doc below: