AJR, December’s ‘One to Watch’ artist, release a dark and jazzy new single, ‘Bang!’

 

 

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While recording ‘Bang!’ Ryan says, “We imagined the song soundtracking a film scene starring its villain. It’s a big explosion of jazzy horns that are not only in a minor key but has lots of big trumpets and timpanis.  The key to unlocking the song was in striking a balance between its more retro Broadway leanings with the new-age hip-hop swing. But it was the song’s message that in the end pushed it over the finish line.”

 

Ryan continues, “This idea of ‘Lets’ go out with a bang’ It felt like a line that resonated with us.  We wrote it about this weird age that we’re at — being in our mid-twenties. The age where you’re no longer a kid but you’re making an effort to becoming an adult. You’re preemptively trying to do what you’ve watched your parents do yet somehow you don’t quite feel like your parents yet. So somehow we wanted to capture this idea of ‘It’s coming. You can’t really fight it. So let’s go out with a bang and grow up.’”

 

 

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In diving deeper into the lyrical meaning behind “Bang!” Ryan says, “Sonically, with every new song we make, we try to stretch out of our AJR comfort zone.  With every song we put out we try to keep challenging ourselves and make something that sounds AJR-ish but we haven’t done before. That’s always a risk.  In order to hold onto youth, we’re peppering unfamiliar modern sounds with sonic elements we’ve known forever. We’re maintaining this urge to jump on the bed and play games because that’s our favorite place in our minds. It makes us AJR.”

 

Check out the amazing year AJR had on Spotify.

 

 

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Watch AJR as they perform ‘Bang!’ on The Ellen Show.

 

Filed under: AJR, One To Watch, This Month's one to Watch