In AJR’s most recent album, “The Click (Deluxe Edition)” the band takes an honest tone in their music, emphasizing their personal, but relatable, insecurities and the not-so-aesthetic parts of their lives. While their most recent songs may not be as popular as their hits, such as “Weak” and “Sober Up,” they take us on an emotional journey further into the minds of the Met brothers.

“The Click (Deluxe Edition)” includes songs “Normal,” “Pretender (Acoustic),” “Role Models,” and “Burn the House Down,” which was originally released as a single. Each of them describes a different doubt or problem they have faced and string together to form a story, such as feeling obligated to produce light-hearted songs or struggling to fit into their environment. Together they “finish the narrative of ‘The Click’,” as the band tweeted out on the release date, Sept. 21. This new aspect of their music brings listeners closer to them as people, not just as musicians. In their previous album, they achieved more popularity than they ever had before by allowing their true personalities to shine through.

Brothers Adam, Ryan and Jack Met describe their music as indie-pop. They produce and mix their own material in their apartment living room, hence the name of their previous album “Living Room.” Their instrumentals are Adam and Ryan are mainly seen on bass, piano and guitar with Jack as the main vocalist, but often another brother will take the mic. Surprisingly, when asked if one ever bosses the other around, they said no. Roles within the band are often cast aside for a more ‘help where it is needed’ attitude.

AJR is unique in that they don’t conform to what one might call ‘modern pop.’ They don’t sensationalize or change themselves for popularity. Although their music always has some deeper meaning that’s not always obvious, the audience can easily connect with their message.

“Come Hang Out”

 Highlighting the band’s struggle of balancing their workload with their friends, this song is relatable to many teens. You don’t have to be a musician to feel tugged in too many directions at once. The brothers accurately convey their stress of being successful musicians while also dealing with the fear of missing out.

“Weak”

This song tells a story of resisting common teenage and young adult urges. The song shows Jack, the lead singer, admitting “I’m weak, and what’s wrong with that?” Jack fights a mental battle back and forth between living his life to the fullest and being responsible, which is easy to relate to because we’re all imperfect.

“Burn the House Down”

A political song may sound overwhelming, but it’s actually more relatable than you would think. This song is about the band’s fears of writing a rebellious and meaningful song. They continually repeat in the lyrics “Should I keep it light?” as if wanting to say more but being afraid to do so. They also talk about their only following for their political views being the “strangers from Twitter.” This hits home for anyone who has ever tried being politically active while young. Not many take the youth seriously, no matter how developed their opinion, and they often take to social media to express their views.

“Role Models”

Directly calling out Kanye West, the brothers wrote this piece to express their sadness about the controversy surrounding him. Kanye was a major influence on AJR’s music, as they expressed their love for him as an artist and a person in interviews, and this song perfectly explains how conflicted they feel about someone so influential to them being portrayed by the media in such a negative way.

If you haven’t already, I would highly encourage you to check them out. AJR has one of the most supportive and positive fanbases I’ve seen, as well as an upbeat concert environment. The band recommends that new fans listen to “Come Hang Out” first, from “The Click,” to get a feel of the band.