The All-American Rejects Return With New Single “Search Party” And Video Game

Despite its name, pop punk was not a genre that completely permeated popular culture; many of the genre’s defining artists leaned more heavily into its punk aspect than the pop aspect. Of course, there was Green Day and blink-182, two huge pop punk artists who definitely reached mainstream levels of fame, but overall, the genre maintained a streamlined fanbase.

There were also bands who originated as pop punk bands and then transformed to better fit the mold of a mainstream pop band (I’m talking about you, Fall Out Boy and Panic! At The Disco). One band, however, epitomized the pop punk sound and had a handful of hits, while still boasting a specifically streamlined group of dedicated fans, and that is none other than The All-American Rejects.

The All-American Rejects peaked in the early 2000s with a string of three albums, all of which went platinum, and have since become synonymous with nostalgia from that decade because of their hit singles. Now, for the first time since 2012, they are gearing up for another album, and they just released the first single to promote it.

The All-American Rejects Released “Search Party” With A Music Video To Come Next Week

After a decade and a half of releasing intermittent non-album singles and EPs, The All-American Rejects have returned with their first few album singles since Kids in the Street in 2012. They just dropped the most recent single, “Search Party!” to promote what will be just their fifth album, Sandbox, set to be released in February of next year.

“Search Party!” comes directly after the release of “Easy Come, Easy Go,” another single from the forthcoming album that fueled a series of pop-up shows, which were later dubbed the House Party Tour, earlier this year. Both songs boast a more indie, alternative sound, very different from the angsty punk sound that characterized the bulk of their career.

“Search Party!” was released alongside a video game, where fans are able to choose one of the four band members to play as in an adventure to retrieve the band’s stolen fear. A music video that accompanies the single—and the video game—will be released on September 24th on MTV, and features the band in a mash-up Resident Evil and Grand Theft Auto live-action game.

While the pop punk genre, and particularly The All-American Rejects’ hits within the genre, are typically enjoyed by teenagers and young adults, the nostalgia never goes away. Though these new singles sound unmistakably like the same band they were in 2005, they have clearly evolved and grown right alongside their fans, making their forthcoming album all the more exciting.