Background and composition
"Sweat" was written by Tyson Ritter
Tyson Jay Ritter (born April 24, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actor, and model. He is best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, pianist, and songwriter of the multi-RIAA certification, platinum selling American alternative ...
and Ido Zmishlany
Ido Zmishlany is a multi-platinum American record producer and songwriter. Ido has written and produced songs for such artists as Justin Bieber, Khalid, Shawn Mendes, Imagine Dragons, The Chainsmokers, Needtobreathe, Camila Cabello, Demi Lovato, B ...
, being the first single by the band to not feature Nick Wheeler as a songwriter, and the first single by the band to feature a writer outside of the band members.
In the music video for "Sweat", Ritter plays a man named Robert, whose alter ego (Betsy) is a drag queen
A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part o ...
. "He (Robert) met someone in his early days, she ruined his chances at having a happy existence and family so to punish himself, he dressed up as her."
The song is an upbeat arena pop-rock anthem in the key of F. One thing that sets it apart from other songs by the band could be the loose instrumentation of the verses, as well as lead guitarist Nick Wheeler's 80's inspired glam-rock style solo, which features a sped up (and slowed down) guitar.
Reception
The two song EP received positive feedback from critics. Hailey Nuthals of PopDust wrote positively of the songs, saying they have "a definitive Rejects-in-2017 sound" and that "They are, by nearly every standard, really good songs. They're permeated with shadows that feel comforting real in their darkness, but still sound like the Rejects. It feels like the band has grown with us. That's great."
Sophie Trenear of The Edge UK gave the EP 5 stars out of 5. She wrote, "It's summery, it's sexy – it's the comeback from the hiatus you never even knew happened." She favorably compared the song to the band's 2008 smash hit "Gives You Hell
"Gives You Hell" is a song by American rock band the All-American Rejects, released as the lead single from their third studio album, ''When the World Comes Down'' on September 30, 2008.
The song is The All-American Rejects' most successful son ...
", stating, "Reminiscent of the blissfully heedless ‘Gives You Hell’ era, it nevertheless dives headfirst into the band's looming evolution with an anthemic chorus that feels outrageously bold, but doesn't skimp on the sugary hook."
Rock 'N' Load magazine was also very positive in their review, calling both the songs and video "exceptional."
Markos Papadatos for DigitalJournal.com was highly positive in his review of the EP/video, saying "Overall, their "Sweat" film is visually-striking and a true work of art." Papadatos also stated that "The All-American Rejects have outdone themselves musically and artistically. They are not afraid to showcase their vulnerability as recording artists, and it is safe to say that their vulnerability is their pop-rock listening audience's reward." Papadatos went on to state that "Their "Sweat" film garners an A rating."
Appearances in popular culture
''Sweat'' was featured in the eighth episode of the short-lived NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
sitcom ''Rise
Rise or RISE may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities
* '' Rise: The Vieneo Province'', an internet-based virtual world
* Rise FM, a fictional radio station in the video game ''Grand Theft Auto 3''
* Rise Kujikawa, a video ...
''. The song is also used as the background music for the