| The Maybe Man | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 10, 2023 | |||
| Recorded | 2022–2023 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 44:12 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Ryan Met | |||
| AJR chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Maybe Man | ||||
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The Maybe Man is the fifth studio album by the American pop trio AJR. It was released on November 10, 2023, following their previous studio album OK Orchestra (2021). It is the band's first album released as part of its deal with Mercury/Republic Records.
In 2022, AJR embarked on a world tour in support of their fourth studio album OK Orchestra. On the tour, they performed their then-unreleased song "I Won't" as a surprise addition to the set, before releasing it as the lead single for their upcoming fifth studio album on July 29, 2022. [1] [2] On November 12, 2022, AJR revealed the album title's abbreviation of "TMM", fitting into the pattern "T** M**** M**". Fans immediately started posting speculative potential titles on the internet; popular theories included "The Music Men", "Ten Meter Men", and "The Manly Men". [3] The band released the album's second single "The DJ Is Crying for Help" on November 18. [4] The third single "The Dumb Song" was released on April 21, 2023. [5]
The fourth single, "God Is Really Real", was surprise-released on YouTube on July 3, 2023, along with a lyric video. While the song was originally set to be dropped along with the album, it was released much earlier than originally scheduled, in order to commemorate the life of their terminally ill father Gary. He died later that day. [6] [7] The single had an official release on July 5, 2023. [8]
On August 27, 2023, they posted the message "Enormous news tomorrow. maybe." to their social media accounts along with a previously unveiled logo featuring the "TMM" acronym. [9] The album's full title and release date were announced the next day in a teaser video featuring the ending of the animated music video for the album's first track, "Maybe Man". The band revealed the track list and album cover on September 11. [9]
The fifth and final single "Yes I'm a Mess" was released on September 29, 2023. [10] A comedic music video, shot in Times Square, was released on October 25. [11] On October 11, AJR announced that The Maybe Man would be delayed exactly one week from its original release date, due to "exciting opportunities" relating to the album release. [12] The album was then released on November 10 alongside a music video for "Maybe Man". [13] [14] On November 29, a music video for "Inertia", the 5th song on the album, was released. [15] On January 23, 2024, a music video for "Touchy Feely Fool", the 2nd song on the album, was released. [16]
"Maybe Man", the album's first track, is a melancholy song with lyrics that interpolates with other songs, such as the line "I wish I was big, as big as my house..." interpolates with Inertia's line "Don't you like it bigger, better but you do what'cha can?". "Touchy Feely Fool" is an upbeat yet reflective track that touches on the awkwardness and vulnerability of emotions, describing a rough breakup.
 | This section needs to be updated. The reason given is: set list, attendance and revenue figures need to be added.(October 2024) |
| Tour by AJR | |
| Location | United States |
|---|---|
| Associated album | The Maybe Man |
| Start date | April 3, 2024 [a] |
| End date | August 20, 2024 |
| Legs | 2 |
| No. of shows | 51 |
| Supporting acts |
|
| Attendance | 450,000+ [17] |
| AJR concert chronology | |
On November 9, 2023, AJR announced their first arena tour to promote the album, [18] most notably including two stops at Madison Square Garden in New York City. [19] Tickets for the tour went on sale on November 17. [20]
On November 14, 2023, AJR announced a second show for Madison Square Garden in New York, due to the first show being sold out on the first day of presale. [21]
On February 13, 2024, the band announced that the supporting acts for the tour will be Mxmtoon, Dean Lewis and Almost Monday. [22]
On April 1, 2024, AJR canceled the tour's first show due to the Norfolk Scope venue being too small to accommodate the show, [23] announcing on April 11 that it was rescheduled to June 23. [24]
On April 2, 2024, due to high demand, Idaho Central Arena announced on their Instagram account that the Boise show would take place at ExtraMile Arena. The previously purchased tickets for Idaho Central Arena was shifted towards the newer venue ensuring that the tickets were still valid. [25]
On July 8, the concert scheduled to take place at Toyota Center the next day was canceled due to the safety concerns surrounding Hurricane Beryl. [26]
As of August 2024, the tour has reportedly sold over 500,000 tickets.[ citation needed ]
On August 8, Adam Met announced that he would not be performing with the band for the Asia shows to attend the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. [27]
The August 17, 2024 Osaka concert is the only concert of the tour to be performed in the afternoon (local time of where the concert was happening.)
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Spectrum Culture |    [31] |
| AllMusic | [32] |
| The Orcale | [33] |
Much like the band's previous albums, The Maybe Man was released to mixed reviews. Spectrum Culture's Thomas Stremfel criticized the album's lyricism, saying the album "barely scratch[es] the surface of the emotional depth their songs could achieve while insisting their music is nothing to take seriously." [31] Writing for AllMusic , Matt Collar praised the album, writing, "With The Maybe Man, AJR continue to turn their personal pain and anxieties into universally relatable pop anthems." [34] Exclaim! listed the album cover as 17th worst of the year, writing: "You've entered a wormhole to 2008 — your only tools for survival are a moustache finger tattoo, a copy of Amélie, a voucher for free puppetry lessons and this album cover. Good luck." [35]
All tracks are written by Adam Met, Jack Met, and Ryan Met. There was supposed to be a Track 13 but it wasn't made due to the brother's dad Gary Metzger's death.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Maybe Man" | 3:40 |
| 2. | "Touchy Feely Fool" | 3:35 |
| 3. | "Yes I'm a Mess" | 2:44 |
| 4. | "The Dumb Song" | 3:45 |
| 5. | "Inertia" | 3:40 |
| 6. | "Turning Out Pt. iii" | 3:50 |
| 7. | "Hole in the Bottom of My Brain" | 3:07 |
| 8. | "The DJ Is Crying for Help" | 3:39 |
| 9. | "I Won't" | 2:48 |
| 10. | "Steve's Going to London" | 4:47 |
| 11. | "God Is Really Real" | 2:59 |
| 12. | "2085" | 5:31 |
| Total length: | 44:12 | |
AJR
Technical
Additional musicians
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Hitseekers Albums (ARIA) [36] | 2 |
| UK Album Downloads (OCC) [37] | 41 |
| US Billboard 200 [38] | 28 |
| US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard) [39] | 4 |
| US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard) [40] | 8 |
The Script are an Irish rock band formed in 2001 in Dublin, Ireland. The band currently consists of Danny O'Donoghue, Glen Power, Benjamin Sargent and Ben Weaver (guitar). Mark Sheehan was a member of the band up until his death in 2023. The band moved to London after signing to Sony Label Group imprint Phonogenic and released their first album The Script in August 2008, preceded by the debut single "We Cry" as well as other singles such as "The Man Who Can't Be Moved", "Breakeven" and "Before the Worst". The album peaked at number one in both Ireland and the UK. Their next three albums, Science & Faith (2010), #3 (2012) and No Sound Without Silence (2014), all topped the album charts in Ireland and the UK, while Science & Faith reached number two in Australia and number three in the United States. Some of the hit singles from the albums include "For the First Time", "Nothing", "Hall of Fame" and "Superheroes". The band's fifth studio album, Freedom Child, was released on 1 September 2017, and features the UK Top 20 single "Rain". Their sixth studio album, Sunsets & Full Moons, was released on 8 November 2019, and features the single "The Last Time". A Greatest Hits album was released on 1 October 2021.
Mr. Big was an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1988. The band was originally composed of Eric Martin, Paul Gilbert (guitar), Billy Sheehan (bass), and Pat Torpey (drums). Though primarily a hard rock band, they are also known for softer songs. Their songs are often marked by strong vocals and vocal harmonies. Their hits include "To Be with You" and "Just Take My Heart". The band takes its name from a song by Free which it covered on the 1993 album Bump Ahead.
AJR is an American indie pop band founded by brothers Adam, Jack, and Ryan Met, collectively a trio of vocalists, multi-instrumentalists, and songwriters. The brothers grew up in New York City, primarily focused on busking and singing covers until shifting to songwriting and touring. At their home studio, AJR recorded more than 100 songs and has released five studio albums on various record labels along with their indie label.
"Weak" is a song by American indie pop band AJR. It was first released on their EP What Everyone's Thinking via the band's label AJR Productions on September 16, 2016, later becoming the third single for their second studio album The Click (2017). The song's lyrics describe acceptance of human weakness and feature an uptempo pop composition. A lyric and music video were released, with the latter featuring the band in a New York City subway. The music video went viral, with the song's popularity on Spotify helping the song become one of the band's highest-charting songs.
The Click is the second studio album by American indie pop band AJR. It was released on June 9, 2017, via the band's label AJR Productions and S-Curve Records, later released internationally through Ultra Records and Black Butter Records. The album follows the trio's previous work, maintaining a pop sound with elements of hip-hop, electronic dance music, and jazz. It includes a sole guest appearance from Rivers Cuomo of the band Weezer while taking influence from Fun, Twenty One Pilots, Kendrick Lamar, and Kanye West.
The discography of American indie pop trio AJR consists of five studio albums, forty-three music videos, eight extended plays, twenty-seven singles, and eight promotional singles. The band is also featured on seven songs and have three independent releases.
"Inertia" is a song by American pop band AJR. It appears as the fifth track on the band's fifth studio album, The Maybe Man, released on November 10, 2023 through Mercury Records. An acoustic recording of the song was later released as a single on May 24, 2024.
"I Won't" is a song by American pop band AJR. It was released on July 29, 2022 via Mercury Records as the lead single from the band's fifth studio album The Maybe Man.
"Don't Throw Out My Legos" is a song by American pop band AJR, appearing as the fourth track on their third studio album Neotheater. It uses an upbeat keyboard-based instrumental while discussing the difficulty of growing up.
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OK Orchestra, often abbreviated as OKO, is the fourth studio album by American pop band AJR. It was released on March 26, 2021, by the band's own label AJR Productions. The album was supported by 5 singles, "Bang!", "Bummerland", "My Play", "Way Less Sad", and "World's Smallest Violin". The album was produced by group member Ryan Met.
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"The Dumb Song" is a song by American pop band AJR. It was released on April 21, 2023, via Mercury Records as the third single from the band's fifth studio album The Maybe Man.
"The DJ Is Crying for Help" is a song by American pop band AJR. It was released on November 18, 2022, via Mercury Records as the second single from the band's fifth studio album The Maybe Man.
"Yes I'm a Mess" is a song by American pop band AJR. It was released on September 29, 2023, via Mercury Records as the fifth single from the band's fifth studio album The Maybe Man.
"Maybe Man" is a song by American pop band AJR from their fifth studio album The Maybe Man, appearing as the opening track. The song was released alongside a music video on November 10, 2023, the day of the album's release.
"Touchy Feely Fool" is a song by American pop band AJR, appearing as the second track on their fifth studio album The Maybe Man.
"God Is Really Real" is a song by American pop band AJR. It was released by Mercury Records and serves as the eleventh track on the band's fifth studio album The Maybe Man. Despite not being planned as a single, the song, which is dedicated to the brothers' terminally ill father, was surprise-released to YouTube on July 3, 2023. The single was officially released on streaming services on July 5, 2023.