Vision’s Underrated: AJR
February 19, 2021 • Written By Becca Benoit
Let me set the scene for you, it’s 2017, and I was on a ratty school bus on my way to a marching band competition. I had Spotify Discover Weekly playing, a rather odd choice since that specific playlist is notoriously a hit or miss, and that’s when I heard it. “Netflix Trip,” a song about the Office, and my introduction to my favorite band, AJR.
Making their debut in 2015 with their first studio album Living Room, brothers Adam, Jack, and Ryan Met began their rise to success after being discovered busking in the streets of NYC. Now, they have three studio albums, with a fourth coming out this March, multiple hit singles, and sold out world tours that are revolutionizing the concert experience. Classified as indie-pop, the trio has a rather experimental take on music, where no album has the same vibe, and each song has its own unique sound, created by different audio mixing techniques that Ryan Met demonstrates on behind the track videos on YouTube and Instagram. Whether you want a dance until dawn hype song (“Burn the House Down” is my personal favorite), something for your in-my-feels playlist (“Turning Out” parts 1 and 2 are sure to make you cry), or something super relatable (“Karma” all the way), there is something for every occasion and mood.
AJR seems to capture the human experience and overly relatable topics like no other with their quirky, upbeat tunes, discussing everything from the office, to therapy, to weed. Each album is introduced with either an overture or a theatre style opening number (see Neotheatre), and their music tells passionate stories. Their soon to be newest album OK Orchestra is highly anticipated.
Besides being experimental on the music front, AJR is changing the game as far as the listener experience goes. Their Neotheatre tour was set up as a story being told, using giant digital screens that the guys would interact with. Furthermore, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they decided to not stop spreading their music, and held drive-in concerts as well as a one night digital concert and Q&A session called “One Spectacular Night.” As someone who could not attend the Neotheatre tour, I can say that experiencing One Spectacular Night, was one of the coolest shows I have ever seen. AJR’s production value is through the roof and anyone can tell how much care and time is put into everything they do.
On a non concert note, they are also engaging fans through social media content, whether that’s sending out puzzle pieces that when solved, reveal the track list for OK Orchestra, or releasing a docu-series about the making of their world tour.
AJR is finally getting the recognition that they deserve on a much larger scale than even a year ago, and they have the song featured in an Apple commercial and the iTunes charts to prove it, but I still chose them for Vision’s Underrated because they’re just that cool.
Click here to listen to Vision’s AJR playlist!
