The band duo of Tyson Ritter and Nick Wheeler recorded the album in New York City in 2001 after being signed by the independent label Doghouse Records, they later released The All-American Rejects on October 15, 2002. The album attracted the attention of DreamWorks Records, who signed The All-American Rejects to them and re-released their LP in early 2003, when it gained commercial success; earning a Platinum Certification from Canada and a Platinum edition from the United States. Between mid-July and early August, the group appeared on the Warped Tour. The All-American Rejects was released as a CD, a vinyl LP pressed in orange and a cassette tape exclusively in Indonesia.
Singles
The band's debut single "Swing, Swing" was released on December 2, 2002 when they were joined by two new members; Mike Kennerty on rhythm guitar and Chris Gaylor on drums - months after recording the album. "Swing, Swing" peaked at #8 on the BillboardModern Rock Tracks in the United States and #13 on the UK Singles Chart respectively, gaining the band media attention on both sides of the Atlantic, a music video followed its release on January 7, 2003. The second single "The Last Song" was released on April 21, 2003 and charted on the US BillboardModern Rock Tracks at #29 and the UK Singles Chart at #69, a music video followed its release a month later. The band's third and final single from the album "Time Stands Still" was released on July 14, 2003, but gained no commercial success. A music video directed by Meiert Avis followed its release in August. The album's opening track "My Paper Heart" was later released in late 2003 as a promotional single - a music video made up of footage from the band's Live from Oklahoma... The Too Bad for Hell DVD! as well as their "Lost in Stillwater" documentary was released to help promote it.
Critical reception
The All-American Rejects received mixed reviews from music critics. Spin magazine gave it a grade of A-. AllMusic stated that The All-American Rejects are "A talented band destined for great things" and that " are capable songwriters, accomplished vocalists, and skilled instrumentalists. Guitar-driven and underpinned with a humane-sounding drum machine cranking out frenetic backbeats, each cut on this self-titled debut brims with harmonies that recall the early Who and classic Beach Boys. Kaj Roth of Melodic stated that the pop rock duo had "plenty of good vibes and catchy uptempo powerpop that will force the rain to take a hike and let the sun shine through", and favoured the song "Your Star"; saying it has "A superb groove that will make you ride a horse on the rodeo" and that "'Time Stands Still' will make the flowers bloom in the middle of winter." Elizabeth Bromstein of Now magazine was more negative towards the sound of the album and gave it a rating of 1 out of 5 stars, quoting "As if their horrifyingly overdone pop-punk thing weren’t bad enough, The All-American Rejects seem intent on embodying their name. Every last song on this record deals with lost love and loneliness. Incorporating the odd classic rock or 80s pop element doesn’t improve things. In fact, it makes it worse, since it feels like they’ve crammed everything they know in here." The album was included at number 49 on Rock Sounds "The 51 Most Essential Pop Punk Albums of All Time" list. BuzzFeed included the album at number 35 on their "36 Pop Punk Albums You Need To Hear Before You F——ing Die" list.
