Album Review: AJR Gives Millennials A “Neotheater”

Do we ever stop growing up? What is a young adult, and when do I become one or stop being one? These are the questions we have all asked ourselves because “growing up” is such a veiled journey; spoken about as if it has a time limit or a certain destination. The joy of AJR’s new album, Neotheater, is that it approaches the vast silliness and seriousness of being a “growing” person.

Sex, dating, multiple jobs, friends, breakups, money woes, and the odyssey to self-love are all themes to growing up, of which Neotheater uses them to create a music, Millennial sitcom. Tracks like, “The Entertainment’s Here,” “Beats By Dre,” and “Next Up Forever” make life feel like a Broad City episode; you are simply a twenty-something going through a bunch of misadventures with your best friend. Every lyric buzzes with the energy of being alive and having no idea what that means, but knowing it means something when at the “Birthday Party” or when getting “Karma.” AJR’s ability to transfer the bigness of life into the smallness of being  is truly magical. 

Neotheater is 100% a fun album with beats that could light the house party up. Moreover, it is a pure representation of their personalities. Adam, Jack, and Ryan Met are so vivacious and welcoming as persons, which transfers to their sound. From “100 Bad Days” to “Dear Winter,” you feel like somebody opened the door to their home, and, in the living room, everyone is dancing, but, in the kitchen or sofa, people are chatting about how hard it is to feel okay. Lead singer, Ryan Met, has a playful voice that approaches notes like a carousel; he rides his range using emotions like the lights, mirrors, and cartoonish images you see on the ride. He wants to spark in listeners a camaraderie; a feeling that the outside world can be chaos, but, in your room, you can have peace. For More Information On AJR And To Buy Neotheater on April 26 Click Here.