The ninth studio album by The Maine is a self-titled effor that was produced by Colby Wedgeworth (the same producer who oversaw four other The Maine albums), and it’s easy to see why the band considers him a “sixth band member.” Having produced landmark records like Lovely Little Lonely and XOXO: From Love and Anxiety In Real Time, this self-titled album seems like the logical sequel to Lovely Little Lonely, so it’s only fitting for Wedgeworth to be at the helm. The new album also bears extra significance with the “8.1.23” street date, and showcases the band’s continued growth as songwriters. The first taste of The Maine came with the lead single, “Blame,” that even got the attention and adoration of The Jonas Brothers on Instagram. The pacing on the new record is electric and frenetic, while still allowing a few songs to brood in the darkness to fit the overall mood and aesthetic of the black & white album artwork. Having released two other singles leading up to today’s release date, “How To Exit A Room” and “Dose No. 2,” The Maine have a bulletproof record on their hands that is filled with a plethora of single-worthy songs that only prove the point of the band being on the top of their game, and quite possibly the world.
The album opens with a fairly quiet guitar chord, before adding in some synths, hand claps and drum beats as The Maine kick into full gear on “Dose No. 2.” Lead vocalist John O’Callaghan sounds as energized, confident, and captivating as he’s ever been as he commands the song with veteran ease. The cool starts and stops to the opening track eventually breaks apart into a dreamy bridge that provide some more context to the sound the band were going for. “How To Exit A Room” follows, and having spun the album a few times, it remains my favorite song on the LP and is a blissful reminder of why I fell in love with this charming band in the first place. The pre-chorus build to the chorus of, “I’m desperate for a different point of view / Yeah, I can show you how to exit a room / So waste the night away / While I escape / I hate it here, I’m leaving soon / Yeah, I can show you how to exit a room / I don’t know where we are / And even though / I hate it here, I don’t have to / Yeah, I can show you how to exit a room,” is classic The Maine, yet it feels like the most fully realized version of themselves.
”Blame” picks up the pace significantly with its manic drumbeat courtesy of Pat Kirch, who makes each lyric seem punchy, pointed, and purposeful. The first verse of “Adderall and television / Play it like a politician / You can’t stop the twitching in your eye, right? / Artificial altruism / Looking for a fuss to give and / All you want is just another couple hundred likes,” is a wise observation on our shortened attention spans in a social media era. “Leave In Five,” on the other hand, is a more straight-forward dance rocker with its great-sounding dual guitar attack from Jared Monaco and Kennedy Brock whose playing reminded me a bit of The 1975, with equally pleasing results. The Maine leave room for the song to breathe, and never rush the different parts of the track to make sure they get the desired effect from the music.
”The Mood I’m In / JSYK” comes up next in the sequencing, and it’s a well-timed ballad in the mix to give the audience a bit of a breather and opportunity to reflect on the frenetic pacing of the earlier songs. The band adds in some sweeping orchestral instrumentation in the chorus of, “If I’ve been unapproachable, or I seem too emotional / Life has been a rollercoaster / So it goes / I’ve been avoiding confrontational bullshit conversations / So if I forgot to say hello / It’s just the mood I’m in,” that hits all the right tones and marks to connect with their longtime listeners.
The back half of the album opens with “I Think About You All The Time” that features a triumphant opening guitar riff paired with a nice pulsating bass line from Garrett Nickelsen to make each note feel purposeful and right in its place. O’Callaghan continues to be as charismatic as he’s ever been, and the lyrics do a great job of complementing the overall mood of the backing music. “Thoughts I Have While Lying In Bed” re-captures that atmospheric spirit of Lovely Little Lonely, and highlights the band’s ability to tell a story and connect with their audience. Lyrics in the second verse of, “I won’t trip out on the past because it’s gone / It’s just that this is new and yeah it’s true / Only knew ‘I love you’s’ when I heard ’em in a song / I tell myself,” paint a picture of conflict within the music, and find the band reflecting on the past while still finding the ability to move forward in their lives.
The moody “Funny How?” accentuates The Maine’s ability to add in rich, contextual musical landscapes to convey a feeling that is comforting as it is heartbreaking. I connected strongly with the second verse of, “At seventeen I couldn’t dream of something like this / Oh what a feeling / Yeah it’s one I’ve never felt / Even after I’m gone I’ll be with you / On your birthdays and your worst days / And all the in-betweens / Believe me now,” since it reminded me just how fleeting this life can be, and how we need to make an impact with the days we’re given to leave behind some sort of legacy. That legacy could be found in the families we start, the relationships we impact, or the ones that are left behind to carry on our memories when our time is up.
The 80’s new wave synths found on “Cars & Caution Signs” is a fantastic, evolving song that features a memorable hook of, “‘Cause we’re only passing cars and caution signs / As you slowly crash your heart inside of mine / And we collide,” that is well-timed and a beautifully organized love song of a different variety. The Maine has always been known for pushing the envelope as far as they can on their closing songs, and “Spiraling” does just that. The track has a very airy feel to it, as O’Callaghan admits on the chorus, “I’m all fucked up on you,” as he spirals head-first into love. The verse of, “Another drink, inhale some things / Can’t sober up, I’m spiraling / Around the room when I think about you / Open the blinds, it’s summertime / Up in my mind I feel so high / I’m in the clouds when I think about you,” offers some insight into the relationship being written about, and it’s a relatable feeling to finding the person that you want to spend all of your moments with.
The Maine feels like a nighttime summer record that plays out like the soundtrack to late night drives from city-to-city as we reflect on the relationships that we want to work on, improve, or just revel in. The old adage of a band releasing a self-titled record as an “artistic statement on how they want to be most remembered” rings true on this album that seems to be the greatest version of a band that I’ve had the pleasure of following since their humble beginnings. “The Warped Tour band” has truly outgrown that scene, and instead, has created their own music community that is as strong as its ever been.