Indie pop rock band The Maine has dropped new music for the first time in nine months. Following up their 2022 singles “Loved You A Little” and “Box In A Heart“, the boys finally delivered on two new songs. These tracks serve as the lead singles for their upcoming 9th studio album, The Maine. “Who is The Maine?” some might ask. For you poor souls who don’t know, let’s break it down a bit.
Who Is The Band?
For those new to the band, you may be surprised that they’ve been steadily dropping music for around 16 years. They officially formed back in 2007 in the town of Tempe, Arizona. The original members were John O’Callaghan on lead vocals, Garrett Nickelsen on bass, Patrick Kirch on drums, Ryan Osterman on lead guitar, and Alex Ross on rhythm guitar. This original formation released one EP together before Osterman and Ross left. Jared Monaco and Kennedy Brock replaced them and have been there ever since.
Until 2013, they released several EPs and albums under numerous labels. For their fourth album, Forever Halloween, the band announced they had gone independent with their label 8123. This name refers to the address of a parking garage they would hang out in. Each music release since then has been under this 8123 label. They have used the same name for their hometown music festival and the same numbers for their album release date on August 1st, 2023.
“blame”
Our first song is a rollicking self-reflective banger. It starts with a lively guitar and a hard-hitting snare. Over this, O’Callaghan rattles off lyrics like Billy Joel in “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” He describes this song as “a letter to myself from myself.” All the things he lists in the verses are things that he is trying to aim blame at. When we hit the chorus, the song dials back and slows the tempo. Here, John excuses that it’s easier to blame himself instead of self-reflecting or moving forward.
It’s easier if I’m the one you blame for everything
For every single memory in your brain
We both got stories, but they’re not the same
So make believe eventually you can forget my name
But it’s easier if I’m the one you blame
(If I could take it all back, I wouldn’t take it all back now)
This song was also the only one accompanied by a music video. In this black and white video, a new aesthetic for this era, the band crowd surfs a packed show. The camera angle is a bird’s eye view, showcasing the number of people crowding together. The lighting is also super cool, as the members have a spotlight with disco balls refracting light from them. There are also disco balls used as props to hold over their heads and headbang with.
“how to exit a room”
Our other song is a little more laidback and sadder this time. “how to exit a room” is a lament on John’s party lifestyle and how he wants to dissociate from it. Partying is shown to be a way to cover up his sadness, despite how much he doesn’t want to be there. This “exiting a room,” as said in the title, is him trying to leave the party to be alone. Ignoring all of the depressing lyrics, it has a great. The rolling guitar throughout the verses is a stellar backer of John’s vocals. The chorus does the opposite of the previous song by kicking it up a notch. However, it is low-key enough not to be abrasive. The song’s best part is the breakdown at the end, where the band completely lets loose instrumentally and vocally.
Final Thoughts
The Maine has delivered great music once again. If you have yet to hear these songs, please give them a listen. And if you liked those, feel free to check out the rest of their discography. There’s a lot to love. You can catch The Maine touring the country with Sad Summer Fest in July. Get tickets here! While you’re at it, check out their new self-titled album. See you next week!
