AJR, My Play | Track Review 🎵

AJR fall short on “My Play,” taking the hipster-millennial aesthetic too far on the third single from their 2021 album, OK ORCHESTRA.

“I just really, really, really, really wanna show you my play / And I don’t wanna do it for Dad at Dad’s new place.” Okay, 🎙 AJR – whatever you say! For years, the indie-pop brother trio have been keeping the millennial spirit ‘alive…,’ though, depending on who you ask, the ‘and well’ part is debatable. 🎵 “My Play,” The third single from the collective’s 2021 album, 💿 OK ORCHESTRA, certainly falls in line with what we’re accustomed to hearing from the Met bros at this point.  

So, let’s go on and address the whole millennial aspect of the songwriting, shall we? As usual, the brothers seem to reflect back on life – simpler times.  We’ve been there, done that, of course.   Much like 🎵 “Don’t Throw Out My Legos” on 💿 Neotheater, the Mets reminisce on the past. Exhibit A – the first two lines of the first verse: “I put on a play in my old house / in my cape, jumpin’ on the old couch…” Later, on the third verse, there’s reminiscence regarding dates, before the fourth verse confirms what seems to be AJR’s big point – “Guess everything [life] is complicated [now].”

Moving beyond the songwriting, which is, um, ‘questionable,’ AJR keep the production in house – courtesy of 🎛 Ryan Met. The resulting sound is big, lush (strings 🎻 are sweet), and did I mention, B-I-G?  On the chorus, it’s expectedly gargantuan, with the drums being particularly heavy handed.  Revisiting the songwriting, the aforementioned chorus, the centerpiece, continues a little something like this:

“I worked really, really, really, really hard, lemme show you my play
And I don't wanna do it twice, ‘cause it's not the same.”

Final Thoughts 💭 

So, thoughts on “My Play?” Well, I’ve often defended AJR as not being as bad as many critics (and haters) have characterized them.  I was definitely a fan of “100 Bad Days,” another millennial joint that the same critics panned with a passion. That said, this round, I think the songwriting is both cringy and flimsy on “My Play.” The whole hipster-millennial aesthetic (speaking as a millennial) just irks me here in particular.  Some will like it, mind you, but for me, it’s too corny.   

🎙 AJR • 🎵 OK ORCHESTRA • 🏷 AJR Productions / S-Curve • 🗓 3.26.21

[📷: AJR Productions / S-Curve]