The All-American Rejects Release New Single, “King Kong”

The All-American Rejects have shared new single “King Kong,” the latest from their upcoming album.

“‘King Kong’ is about leaving Los Angeles,” frontman Tyson Ritter said in a statement. “I’m from a small town in Oklahoma, and I moved back home. When I got to L.A., I fell into an interesting crowd. It was the quintessential, ‘I’m in L.A. in my twenties and early thirties,’ life. It’s a town where everyone is chasing the same industry. There’s no real life about it for me that I experienced until I left.”

He also praised the work of guitarist Nick Wheeler, saying, “Nick brought out the quality in the song. It was a very natural combination of our efforts.”

“King Kong” is an upbeat, acoustic-driven song which showcases the pop-rock sensibilities the band built their career on, making it a great song for the upcoming summer. But despite its fun sound, it has somewhat dark lyrics about feeling disillusioned and going through the motions in life: “I’ve been running round with the same old crowd, for too long.” It all builds to the chorus of, “You’ll always be around to let me down.” It’s accompanied by a lyric video featuring a person dressed in a King Kong costume exploring Los Angeles.

The track follows the previous releases “Easy Come, Easy Go,” “Get This,” “Eggshell Tap Dancer,” “Search Party!,” and “Sandbox,” all of which have helped fuel the band’s resurgence.

Last year, The All-American Rejects went viral for their free pop-up house-party shows, which saw them play everywhere from cornfields and fans’ homes to gas stations. During a recent appearance at SXSW, the band indicated they intend to continue playing house shows this summer.

“King Kong” is currently available on streaming platforms. The All-American Rejects’ highly anticipated fifth album, Sandbox, is due out on May 15 via Slick Shoes and is currently available to pre-save and pre-order. It’s their first album in 14 years and their first independent release, following 2012’s Kids in the Street. They’ll also be taking their Recess tour to the UK and Europe this summer, as well as some festivals.