Sandbox

The band’s fifth album showcases a new-found eclecticism. The All-American Rejects’ fifth album was a long time in the making. Besides being the Oklahoman quartet’s first record since 2012’s Kids in the Street, Sandbox was also teased to fans via AAR’s mega-viral House Party Tour across much of 2025, which found Tyson Ritter and co. playing such left-of-centre venues as a bowling alley and a literal barn. Whereas Kids in the Street offered a slicked-back take on the anthemic pop-punk sound that brought AAR to cultural prominence throughout the 2000s, Sandbox—which marks the group’s first truly independent release after four records on Interscope—showcases a new-found eclecticism, from the swaggering arena-glam of “Eggshell Tap Dancer” to the slinky pop-rock of “Clothesline.”