For those who don’t know, AJR is an indie-pop group whose sound is influenced by The Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel and Imagine Dragons. AJR soared to fame with the single “I’m Ready”, which sampled 90s Nicktoon SpongeBob Squarepants. The group consists of Adam (bass/vocals), Ryan (ukulele/piano/vocals) and Jack (ukulele/percussion/sample machine) Met. The brothers performed on Live with Kelly on ABC, toured with stars like Demi Lovato, Andy Grammer and We The Kings, and earned a US Platinum and Double Platinum in Australia. AJR grew to fame when tweeting to Sia with a link to “I’m Ready”. Sia replied, and in turn gave the brothers the tools and people needed to grow their music career.
The group identifies as a “DIY pop group with Pro Tools and a $99 microphone”. AJR writes, records and produces in the living room of a Chelsea apartment. In total, the EP consists of 5 tracks, with an average play time of 4 minutes. “I’m Not Famous” is the most popular track on Spotify, with 1.6 million plays as of today. The song is catchy, infusing some jazzy elements along with the band’s pop-indie roots. “Turning Out” is a slower track than the rest, but it tells a relatable tale to Millennials who have grown up, but struggle in reaching adulthood. The final track of the EP, “No Green Today” is a fun and catchy song about not being into smoking pot, while not going out of the way to stop people who like to or saying anything negative about it.
Overall, hearing this EP AJR in period was an enjoyable experience. This EP is fun, catchy and relatable for a budding generation of people who don’t really feel like an adult, feeling inadequate or just making a statement without telling others what to do. Starting Oct 6 the group will be touring with Ingrid Michaelson, making stops across the country. The EP is available to stream on Spotify, which is linked below:
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