| The Maine | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 1, 2023 | |||
| Recorded | 2023 | |||
| Studio | 8123 Studios | |||
| Genre | Pop rock [1] | |||
| Length | 36:16 | |||
| Label |
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| Producer | Colby Wedgeworth | |||
| The Maine chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Maine | ||||
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The Maine is the ninth studio album by American rock band the Maine, released on August 1, 2023, via 8123 and Photo Finish Records.
"I'll remember a lot from recording No. 9, but the thing I'll remember most fondly is the sense of a forgotten youth I felt throughout the process. Much of it had to do with reuniting with [producer] Colby Wedgeworth, and much of it had to do with an idea in my head that resounded, 'What if this is the last time?'"
—John O'Callaghan on writing and recording their ninth studio album. [2]
In late 2022, the Maine began teasing their ninth album and confirmed its writing. [3] On April 5, 2023, the band revived its web series Miserable Youth for a third season dedicated to showcasing the album's production, with episodes being released weekly. [4]
The group worked with Colby Wedgeworth to help produce the album. [5] The third track, "Blame" was written by John O'Callaghan and has been described as a "self-reflective song" that explores the theme of accepting responsibility for past mistakes and the desire to make amends. [6] O'Callaghan stated, "This tune is more or less about both placing and accepting blame for things I wish I could redo. The only rub is I can't go backwards, only forwards." [5]
Bassist Garrett Nickelsen stated that the group wanted to make "a great live album" that would "be fun to play in front of people and make people dance and just let loose." He also added that the band wanted to make the record "sound different from the rest," striving to revolutionize their sound by bringing in new influences. Drummer Pat Kirch took an interesting approach, recording the drums and cymbals separately. [7]
"We were listening to interviews with bands, and the band Phoenix and Harry Styles recorded their drums that way, and it was really shocking and bizarre to us on how to do that and make it not sound disjointed." [7]
Tracks such as "I Think About You All the Time" and "Thoughts I Have While Lying in Bed" were inspired by different stages of falling in love, according to O'Callaghan. The claps featured on "Blame" was a "happy little accident," thought of by O'Callaghan while the band was in Franklin, Tennessee, with producer Colby Wedgeworth. "Cars and Caution" was inspired by Grateful Dead. [8] Nickelsen described the first track, "Dose No. 2" as "math rock." [9] The last track, "Spiraling" was written by O'Callaghan, in which the song was originally not intended to be on the album and was written for another artist. However, guitarist Jared Monaco, wanted to do the song and Kirch suggested the track be put as the final track on the album. [9]
The band officially announced their ninth album, The Maine, on June 8, 2023. [10] The album would be released on August 1, 2023, due to the date being written as 8.1.23, reflecting the significance the number 8123 has to the group. It was the number of the parking garage where the band would get together as childhood friends and as a result has been used in their song's lyrics, is the title of their own record label, and is also on the band's own 8123 Festival. [11]
Along with this announcement, the group released two new singles: "Blame" and "How to Exit a Room". [10] A music video for "Blame" was released on June 9, 2023, and was directed by Guadalupe Bustos. The video was filmed in the band's hometown of Phoenix, Arizona and was shot at the Nile Theater. [12] The music video for "How to Exit a Room" premiered on July 25, 2023. Shot in black and white, the video shows O'Callaghan riding a horse through the desert features. [13] A music video for "Dose No. 2" was released on August 1, 2023. [14] A music video for "Thoughts I Have While Lying in Bed" premiered on August 30, 2023. Directed by Nick Stafford, the video was filmed in Cincinnati. The song has garnered over 650,000 streams. [15] In November 2023, the group released a new version of the track featuring Beach Weather. [16] On December 29, the band released a new version of "Leave in Five", featuring Mandy Lee of MisterWives. [17]
In January 2024, the group released the deluxe edition of their self-titled album, which features re-recorded tracks of "Thoughts I Have While Lying In Bed", "Leave in Five" and "Blame", featuring Beach Weather, MisterWives and Valley, respectively, and a wedding version of "Funny How?". [18]
The Maine celebrated the album's release with fans in Denver, Colorado for 8123 Day, where they headlined the Fillmore Auditorium with support from Real Friends and Knuckle Puck. [19] The band headlined the Sweet 16 tour in November 2023 in support of the album. [20] The group also supported Fall Out Boy on their So Much for Dust tour in February 2024. [21]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Melodic |   [22] |
The Maine was met with mixed to positive reviews. Adam Grundy of Chorus.fm stated, "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." He praised O'Callaghan's vocals on the first track "Dose No. 2" as well as Pat Kirch's drumming on the album's lead single "Blame". [23] He described the fourth track, "Leave in Five" as a "straight-forward dance rocker" song, praising Jared Monaco and Kennedy Brock's guitar work and comparing it to the 1975. He also complimented Garrett Nickelsen's "pulsating bass line" on the sixth track, "I Think About You All the Time" and called "How to Exit a Room" the standout track on the album. [23] Kaj Roth of Melodic stated, "The music don't come with any surprises but instead a package of upbeat singalong choruses that is easy to like, however I get the feeling The Maine can so much more. It's not memorable enough." [22] Helen Ainsley of Official Charts Company listed it as one of the best albums of 2023. She stated, "a nostalgic rock album with a tasty sprinkling of poppy '80s influences – contains so many incredible tracks and attention-grabbing moments." [24] Maria Serra of idobi Radio praised the band's growth in songwriting. She remarked, "Tracks such as 'Blame', and 'Dose No. 2' are ethereal disco dance tracks juxtaposed with the slow love song 'Funny How?' are the clear culmination of love for fans who are young and young at heart." [25]
| Publication | Accolade | Year | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| idobi Radio | Best Albums of 2023 | 2023 | Unranked | [25] |
| Rock Sound | Top 50 Albums of 2023 | 2023 | 30 | [26] |
| Official Charts Company | Best Albums of 2023 | 2023 | Unranked | [24] |
| Chorus.fm | Top 30 Albums of 2023 | 2023 | 8 | [27] |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dose No. 2" | 2:54 | |
| 2. | "How to Exit a Room" |
| 3:44 |
| 3. | "Blame" |
| 3:10 |
| 4. | "Leave in Five" |
| 3:37 |
| 5. | "The Mood I'm In / JSYK" |
| 3:31 |
| 6. | "I Think About You All the Time" |
| 3:16 |
| 7. | "Thoughts I Have While Lying in Bed" |
| 3:39 |
| 8. | "Funny How?" |
| 3:36 |
| 9. | "Cars & Caution Signs" |
| 5:00 |
| 10. | "Spiraling" |
| 3:44 |
| Total length: | 36:16 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Thoughts I Have While Lying in Bed" (featuring Beach Weather) | 3:39 |
| 12. | "Funny How?" (wedding version) | 3:34 |
| 13. | "Blame" (featuring Valley) | 3:10 |
| 14. | "Leave in Five" (featuring MisterWives) | 3:37 |
Credits retrieved from album's liner notes. [28]
The Maine
Additional musicians
| Additional personnel
|
| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | August 1, 2023 |
| [29] | |
| January 12, 2024 |
| [18] |
The Maine is an American rock band from Tempe, Arizona. Formed in 2007, the group consists of lead vocalist, guitarist and pianist John O'Callaghan, lead guitarist Jared Monaco, bass guitarist Garrett Nickelsen, drummer Patrick Kirch, and rhythm guitarist Kennedy Brock. The band is joined by touring member Adam Simons, as of 2018, who plays keys, rhythm and lead guitar as well as percussion.
Can't Stop Won't Stop is the debut studio album by American rock band The Maine. It was released on July 8, 2008 through Fearless Records. The album debuted at No. 40 on the Billboard 200 and sold 12,000 copies first week.
The Way We Talk is the second EP by Tempe, Arizona-based rock band The Maine. It was released on December 11, 2007 via Fearless Records and sold 50,000 copies. "The Way We Talk" is the only single released from the EP.
Black & White is the second album by The Maine and was released on July 12, 2010. The album features singles "Inside of You" and "Growing Up". It debuted at No. 16 on the Billboard 200 with 22,634 copies sold in its first week.
This Century was an American pop rock band from Phoenix, Arizona, United States. The band consisted of members Joel Kanitz, Ryan Gose, Alex Silverman, and Sean Silverman. In February 2014, Alex Silverman announced his departure from the group. In May 2015, the band announced that following the release of their third album Soul Sucker, they would be playing farewell shows and retiring the band so members could "pursue each of our passions and musical projects". The band has released three full-length albums: Soul Sucker, Biography of Heartbreak, and Sound of Fire.
The Maine is an American rock band, formed in Tempe, Arizona in 2007. The band has released nine studio albums, eleven extended plays, 31 singles and 30 music videos. Their debut album, Can't Stop Won't Stop was released on July 8, 2008, peaking at No. 40 on the Billboard 200. Their second album, Black & White was released on July 13, 2010, peaking No. 19 on the Billboard 200. Their third album, Pioneer was released on December 6, 2011, and peaked at No. 90 on the Billboard 200. Forever Halloween, their fourth album, was released on June 4, 2013, and peaked at No. 39 on Billboard 200. Their fifth album American Candy was released on March 31, 2015, and peaked at No. 37 on the Billboard 200.
Forever Halloween is the fourth full-length album by American rock band The Maine, released on June 4, 2013 through the band's own label, 8123 Records. The album received generally positive reviews from critics. The album spawned two singles: "Happy" and "Ugly on the Inside".
Biography of Heartbreak is the second full-length album by American pop rock band This Century. It was released worldwide on May 14, 2013, via Rude Records in Europe, the UK, Southeast Asia, Australia and Japan, and independently in the US in partnership with their management team Eighty One Twenty Three.
American Candy is the fifth studio album by American rock band The Maine, released on March 31, 2015, through 8123 Records. The album debuted at number 37 on the Billboard 200. The album sold 15,000 copies in its first week.
"Into Your Arms" is a song by American rock band The Maine. It was released on June 15, 2009, as the lead single from their debut studio album Can't Stop Won't Stop. A music video was released on July 24, 2009, in promotion of the single.
"Right Girl" is a song by an American pop punk band The Maine. The song premiered on July 8, 2010, before it was officially released on July 12, 2010, as the first promotional single from their second studio album, Black & White.
Lovely Little Lonely is the sixth studio album by American rock band The Maine and was released on April 7, 2017, through the band's label 8123. It debuted at number 32 on the Billboard 200, however, it reached as high as number 4 on the US Top Rock Albums chart and at number 3 on the US Independent Albums chart.
XOXO: From Love and Anxiety in Real Time is the eighth studio album by American rock band The Maine and was released on July 9, 2021, through 8123 and Photo Finish Records.
You Are OK is the seventh full-length album by American rock band The Maine, released on March 29, 2019. "Numb Without You" was released as the lead single and "My Best Habit" and "Broken Parts" were the last two singles released from the album.
"Black Butterflies and Deja Vu" is a song by American rock band, the Maine. It is the second single off their sixth studio album Lovely Little Lonely released on March 2, 2017, premiering on Nylon Magazine. It was released digitally the following day. An acoustic version was released on July 28, 2017.
I Only Want to Live Once is the debut studio album by American indie rock singer John O'Callaghan under his alias John the Ghost. The album was released on February 12, 2021.
Beach Weather is an American pop rock band formed in 2015 by lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Nick Santino, best known for their song "Sex, Drugs, Etc." which was certified Platinum on May 16, 2023.
"Blame" is a song by American rock group The Maine. The song was released on June 9, 2023 as the lead single from their ninth studio album, The Maine. The song peaked at number 25 on the US Billboard Alternative Airplay chart.
"Thoughts I Have While Lying in Bed" is a song by American rock group The Maine. The song was released on August 30, 2023 as the fourth single from their ninth studio album, The Maine along with its music video. The song was re-released on November 24, 2023, featuring American pop rock band Beach Weather.
Big Skies is the debut studio album by American indie rock singer-songwriter, Nick Santino and was released on May 27, 2014, via 8123 Records. The album peaked at number 24 on the US Heatseekers Albums chart.