AJR – three brothers born and raised in New York City – have achieved a startling level of success in a short period of time. From the success of their buoyant electro-pop single ‘I’m Ready’ to their current single ‘Weak’, AJR are making a splash all around the world.
11 years ago, AJR got their musical start busking in Central Park and Washington Square, singing Jackson 5 covers, and as they progressed, their own original material. This was not the brothers’ first introduction to the spotlight: all three were involved in theatre from a young age, Jack appeared in ‘The Pink Panther’, and Ryan had a small role on ‘Chappelle’s Show’.
Raised on the vinyl of the ‘50s and ‘60s, AJR were initially inspired by the likes of The Beach Boys and Frankie Valli, but the sound they’ve created has been favourably compared to a modern mix of those classic sounds, with flavors of Imagine Dragons, Fun., and even some hip-hop production elements pointing towards Kanye West.
Their big break came when Ryan, who was bored in a psychology class, tweeted a link to their song ‘I’m Ready’ to dozens of celebrities. Sia replied, and after those first few moments, ‘I’m Ready’ quickly took on a life of its own.
Fast-forward 3 years, and following the release of two energetic EPs and an album, AJR’s new album The Click, is the next step forward in the AJR story. The Click contains all 5 songs from their acclaimed EP What Everyone’s Thinking plus 8 brand new tracks. Taken from What Everyone’s Thinking, The Click includes AJR’s current pop single ‘Weak’. ‘Weak’ has racked up over 180 million streams on Spotify alone, and is still on the rise.
The Click gave AJR the opportunity to write and record with the legendary Rivers Cuomo, someone who the brothers have admired for their entire career. Rivers co-wrote the track ‘Sober Up’, and contributes vocals throughout the song.