On the 7th of April, The Maine released their 6th studio album Lovely Little Lonely, so I decided to take this opportunity and write a little piece about the band itself.
The Maine are an alternative band from Tempe, Arizona - or “Arizona emo group,” if you’d prefer that.
Now, I can’t claim that I’m their biggest fan. There are many, many fans out there that have been following them for much longer, with much more dedication than I have. However, I won’t say that I’m a “casual listener”. How can you casually listen to a band like The Maine?
The Maine are the perfect band for any instance of life. There’s something so genuine, so admirable about The Maine. Is it the fact that they release their albums independently? Is it the fact that they are fiercely loyal and loving towards their fans? I can’t tell you. All I can tell you is that The Maine is not a band you should be ignoring.
Thinking about what song or album I’d recommend for first-time listeners is hard. I can’t tell you which one is the best, objectively, because they’re all so good. Every album has its own vibe, its own charm. They all exist in their own little spatiotemporal bubble, really. I know that sounds weird, but what I mean is that each album embodies different parts of life. Their older albums are full of teenage wonder and angst, whereas Lovely Little Lonely covers harder-hitting parts of life, like everlasting sadness and nostalgia, but also growing up and being alright with it.
Actually… As I write this article, I’m beginning to realise I grew with The Maine. I got attached to each album in chronological order, even though it started much later than when the albums were released. The first album I heard of theirs was their first studio album, Can’t Stop Won’t Stop. I was 13 at the time and just venturing out of the tried-and-tested bands (i.e Green Day, Good Charlotte, Sum 41, etc). I listened exclusively to CSWS, namely “Into Your Arms”. Then, slowly, I began listening to Black and White, and even wrote terrible fan-fiction based on every track - embarrassing times indeed, but vital to my growth as both a writer and a person. I had the lyrics “We’re just trying to find some colour in this black and white world” up on my wall, each letter hand drawn and cut out of various colours, white, and black (“Color”). Actually, I still regularly jam out to “Right Girl” and "Don't Stop Now" - hey, I might be older, but I know a good song when I hear one.
In 2013, when I entered 10th grade, Pioneer became the most played album on my iPod, “My Heroine” and “Don’t Give Up On Us” my go-to tracks to listen to on my way home. They filled me with the confidence I was lacking, and looking back now, I’m so thankful for it.
I don’t really remember if I knew about the release of their next album, Forever Halloween, or not. What I do remember is that the deluxe version was released right before Warped Tour 2014, and I remember my heart skipping a beat when I saw 3 out of the 5 members of the band walking around, promoting their set with boxes of CDs tucked under their arm. That was the first physical album of theirs I bought, straight out of their hands. I’ll never forget how sweet they were, even though I could barely utter five words to them.
After meeting them was when I really started to pay attention to them. When American Candy came out in 2015, I listened to the album from start to finish pretty much every day. I scrawled their lyrics everywhere, and still have a flannel shirt with the words “shut up and drink your diet soda” painted on the back (“Diet Soda Society”). Even now, I remember the tracklist perfectly, and feel a little irked when “Miles Away” isn’t followed by “Same Suit Different Tie”.
After all that, we reach Lovely Little Lonely. I was awake at midnight when it appeared on Spotify, but I refused to listen to it, because I refused to listen to it out of order (unfortunately, Spotify Premium is not something I've invested in yet). When I finally sat down to listen to it, I was blown away. It’s like they know what I need to hear. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love, to some extent, every song on that album. Each song appeals to a different part of me: some to my personal life, some to my daily struggles, other to my relationships, romantic and platonic alike. “Taxi,” for instance, reminds me of my best friend Jayden. I don’t want to get into details, but the minute I heard it, I thought of her. When I met her, I didn’t know what I was getting into. I didn’t know that I was about to form the best friendship I’ve ever had. I didn’t know that Jayden and I were always going to be there for each other. “I can't say that I can make you feel / Complete or free from your worry / But believe me when I tell you / "Babe, you'll never be lonely"” are the lyrics that solidified this connection I made. I know that if I have Jayden in my life, I’ll never truly be lonely. Times may get tough, but we’ll always have one another.
Long story short: The Maine just knows. I don’t know whether it’s fate, or happy coincidences, or they just generally have relatable songs, but I’d like to think it’s fate. I’d like to think that The Maine are here, not just for me, but for all their listeners to know that they’re not alone, that you grow and you change and that it’s okay - rather, it’s normal, and it’s to be celebrated.
Okay, I didn’t really explain what The Maine means to me, but I think we all get the idea. I’ll save the sappy, personal stories for another time, but I will say this: listen to The Maine. You won’t regret it.
