"OK Orchestra" finds AJR taking their sound to the next level

OK Orchestra is AJR's fourth studio album. The new era started off with lead single "Bang" in February 2020. Now, a year and a month later, the whole 13-track record is finally out. It's an album that reflects the current state of the world, from the Black Lives Matter movement, to the COVID-19 pandemic, to the political climate in the US and everything in between. It's laced with emotions from track one all the way through track thirteen.

The album sees the return of the overture for AJR, with the first track "OK Overture" beautifully blending all of the other 12 tracks together into one incredible song. Like their two other overtures, it effortlessly combines the melodies and lyrics of all of the tracks that follow it on the record, but this time, the overture also includes and highlights lyrics in the bridge that aren't featured on any other track.

"3 O'Clock Things" is a lyrical depiction of the mind at three a.m. It's racing through different topics the same way one's mind does when it's late and you should be sleeping but your mind is racing. Take, for example, the lyric "It’s kinda funny how I keep debating / If someone’s shy / Or if they hate me" and how that turns into a thought about sex. It's a song that reflects the current environment of the US. Take the third verse or the bridge as an example. Or, quite simply, look at the final lines of the song: "That if you’re fucking racist / Then don’t come to my show."

"Joe" is a beautiful track that utilizes incredible harmonies and piano and strings to talk about how the presence of someone in their childhood they want to impress still follows them around all these years later. The pretty experimental track fades into the next, a more traditional track, "Adventure Is Out There." It's laced with mainly ukulele and drums, paired with Ryan's voice on the verses and Jack's on the choruses. It's lyrical content reflects the uneasiness the pandemic and the lack of being able to travel and go out and do things.

"The Trick" is a song that sticks out immediately. It starts with a simple ukulele and distorted vocals. The chorus adds Jack's voice harmonizing with the distorted vocals, and later adds string instruments and backing vocal harmonies to the mix as well. It's a fascinating blend that works surprisingly well. The track ends with just Jack's vocals and the ukulele. It's the shortest track on the album, but it still holds its own.

"Ordinaryish People" features the Blue Man Group and lyrically talks about people's expectations of you. It's a fun track, with an incredible instrumental break at the end that highlights the Blue Man Group. It's followed by a song with a similar level of energy and similar lyrical content, "Humpty Dumpty." This one, with lyrics like "When Humpty Dumpty went down / He said screw it / Imma smile right through it" tackles mental health and pretending to be okay for the sake of everyone watching you. "World's Smallest Violin" continues the theme, this time looking at past accomplishments of family members, friends or just anyone and comparing it at what you've done and building pressure for yourself. The song pairs that lyrical content with toe-tapping instrumentals, a violin, and catchy vocals that make you want to sing along.

Let's not forget the singles, too. "Bummerland," track two, is a song that hides deep lyrics reflective of the feelings of isolation and depression encompassed with the lockdowns under instrumentals that make you want to dance. "My Play" is an emotional song about divorce and the impact on a child. "Bang!" was AJR's farewell to the Neotheater era, and beautifully hid easter eggs in the lyrics that referenced earlier songs of theirs. The last single, "Way Less Sad," is the second to last on the album and it takes a dive into mental health and the idea that you might not feel happy yet, but maybe you're a little less sad than yesterday, and that's a small victory.

The closing track, "Christmas in June," talks about balancing work as a musician and relationships, realizing how much exactly they've missed and promising not to miss as much anymore. It's a simpler track, but it's full of emotion.

And that's not just this song, that's the whole album. OK Orchestra is absolutely full of emotion from start to finish. Something in there is bound to make you feel something. It covers a wide range of topics, with a good amount being considered "controversial." But they tackle those issues, from mental health to current events, incredibly well, sticking to their truths. It's an album reflective of both where the band is, and the current state of the world. Production wise, it's ambitious, often morphing vocals and instrumentation, but they pull it off so effortlessly.

OK Orchestra see AJR really hitting their stride. Over their past three albums, they've built a unique sound, and their fourth one here brings that sound to the next level.

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