YIKES. It's been a while. In my defence, my final year of university has been kicking my derrière and I now have a lil' part-time job which means that any free time I have is somewhat short-lived. I love writing blog posts but for me they're a multiple-hours commitment (what with planning, writing, editing, more editing, making the graphics and all that jazz) and I just haven't had the time to really get down to writing something. Regardless, I am here right now with an album review and I'm excited to share it.
It seems like only yesterday that I was writing my very first album review on this blog. It was The Maine's 2015 release American Candy. Yet, time did that thing it does, and it took me to right here today, two years later, with a review of the band's sixth studio album, Lovely, Little, Lonely (released on 7th April). To say I was excited for the record would be a prodigious understatement. I love The Maine and everything they stand for with all of my cold-to-lukewarm heart and soul. However, this post is not supposed to be about my relentless admiration for the band as people (although let's be honest, this probably will feature fairly heavily), so how about we start with my track-by-track review?
1. Don't Come Down - this is just so upbeat and it's such a great, happy start to the album, arguably tricking you into thinking the record isn't going to be emo as heck. Overall, the lyrics are pretty simple, and it feels summery and really gives me a '90s kind of feel.
2. Bad Behavior - I can see why The Maine chose this as the first single; it really encapsulates the vibe of the whole album (I need to stop saying 'vibe' but...vibe up) (RT if u get that reference) and is such a jam. If you liked American Candy you'd probably like this track; Bad Behavior feels like the cool older brother; a little smoother, a little louder, a little snazzier. Plus, the bit where John O'Callaghan sings "you're bad for me yeah...WOOOAHAOAOHOH" pleases my ears immensely.
3. Lovely - this is the first interlude of the album, which was a new thing for The Maine - correct me if I'm wrong but I believe they've not included musical interludes on any previous albums. This one is slow, relaxing and short, and the only entirely instrumental song on the album. Plus, as only the third track on the record, it gives the listener a (lovely) little glimpse into how the album may branch out and try new things. To be honest, I don't know even how to review interludes.
4. Black Butterflies and Déjà Vu - from the first note, this song is FULL-ON. There is just so much drum action and I love it. I also love lyrics about words and this song features just that. It's about trying to push through the 'black butterflies' of anxiety and tell the person you like everything your heart says but your mouth struggles to articulate. (Side note, I really appreciate the correct use of accents on 'déjà'. But then, it's The Maine, should I really have expected them to have neglected such details?)
5. Taxi - LISTEN HERE. This song is something else. It starts off slow and acoustic-y but it builds so wonderfully throughout. It feels honest and intimate, as if we are sat there in that backseat John O' sings about. I personally feel Taxi showcases some of his strongest songwriting, and it features a lot of my favourite lyrics from the album. It's simultaneously heartstring-pullingly sad and delicately hopeful in the way that The Maine seems to often so perfectly execute (see: Misery, 24 Floors, (Un)Lost, etc.).
6. Do You Remember? (The Other Half of 23) - well this is a bop and a half, isn't it? It's a nostalgic, infectious, guitar-driven tune that I cannot get out of my head. In fact, the final quarter of the song has some of my favourite instrumentation on the whole album; there's a ridiculously dramatic guitar riff, and the guitar continues into something that's just super cool, and then the drums at the end feel really intense and powerful. (Let me tell you, describing instrumental elements when you know absolutely nothing about the practice of music is not the easiest thing in the world.)
7. Little - this is another interlude, and I love that the drums carry across from the previous track to it. My friend pointed out that they sound like a heartbeat and I fully agree. Whispering in the background we can hear the rolling waves of the ocean, plus almost eerily the words "bittersweet" and "sound of reverie" against the backdrop of the drum beat - which reference the track that follows. I really like how Little so smoothly integrates with the songs on either side of it.
8. The Sound of Reverie - this is nostalgic in a different way to Do You Remember?. It's upbeat and punchy yet also dark. I absolutely love the lyrical structure of the song; its verses are replete with paradoxical juxtapositions (hiya Georgia, the dictionary called and it wants its words back) about living in the moment (the song could effectively be titled 'carpe diem') and taking control of the present, because before we know it time will have crept up on us as it always does. The Maine always deliver on the time-has-passed-but-we-are-still-young-so-don't-worry song front. I probably could have phrased that better, but you get the idea.
9. Lost in Nostalgia - I don't usually notice the bass in a song but this track's bassline is its main feature. This is another interlude/a very short (with its 1m40s runtime) song, and if I had to ascribe an adjective to it it'd be 'calming'. Yet, even with its very few lyrics, it doesn't feel boring or out of place or just a 'filler' track on the album.
10. I Only Wanna Talk to You - to me this feels like a Black & White/Can't Stop Won't Stop throwback mixed with country and then some '90s vibes. I admit, that's not the most coherent description, but if you've listened to it I wonder if you'd agree. In a weird way, it reminds me of the kind of song my mum used to play in the car when I was a child (definitely not in a bad way). Sonically it's probably the most different track on the album. I don't know how else to describe my views on it other than by telling you what images I see in my head when I listen. I envision a music video that includes (but is not limited to) scenes of an open-top car rolling through the Arizona desert with cacti lining the roads, plus scenes that feature cowboys drinking moonshine in a dimly-lit saloon. Does that convey my thoughts well enough? I don't even know.
11. Lonely - I was trying to decide whether to call this an interlude or not but honestly I don't think the label matters; The Maine don't follow the rules so why should I? This ambient track flows really nicely from the previous song, and it features the phrase "lovely little loneliness", neatly tying up the album. It is perhaps the only instance of an abrupt end of a song on the record, leaving us with a blank slate with which to listen to the final track.
12. How Do You Feel? - hello, we are officially back to bop o'clock. The song makes me want to get up and dance and feel things and just live, which I think is the point. It's a direct address to the listener, compelling them to take ownership of their minds and reflect on, well, how they feel. I am really hoping I'll get to hear this track live at some point as I can so clearly imagine an entire crowd up off their seats jumping along and feeling alive. I love that the album ends on this song, because, after listening to record for the first time in its entirety, how do I feel? Overwhelmed in the very best way, quite frankly, but thank you for asking.
Favourite song(s): Black Butterflies and Déjà Vu / Taxi / The Sound of Reverie / How Do You Feel?
Favourite lyric(s): "There are only twenty-six letters I can use just to tell you I won't let go." (Black Butterflies and Déjà Vu) // "I can't say that I can make you feel complete or free from your worry, but believe me when I tell you, you'll never be lonely." (Taxi) // "Let's take our time, while it's still ours to take." (The Sound of Reverie) // "Do you remember the days we were golden?" (Do You Remember?) // "The clock it always talks so loud." (I Only Wanna Talk To You) // "You are alive, but are you living?" (How Do You Feel?)
Overall rating: 9.5/10
(...that was a lot of lyrics. Sorry.)
One thing I noticed about this album is that such careful attention was put into every little detail; from creating a whole new aesthetic for the record and its corresponding tour, to making sure the tracks weld together to form one cohesive, coalescent body (side note: what kind of heathen listens to an album for the first time on shuffle?) to making sure to use the correct accents on 'déjà'. Each detail has been considered, offering us an intricately layered piece of work that would take countless listens to fully unravel.
~Wildly unnecessary paragraph to follow:~
In fact, briefly, let's dive into some lyrical analysis, because hey, in my four years of being a student I have analysed innumerable texts, and apparently I cannot stop myself here. I don't usually go into much detail with lyrics in my reviews but I want to point out how clever I think the first line of How Do You Feel? is. John O' idiosyncratically sings "all the dearly depressed and broken-hearted", which to me seems to reference "dearly departed" ("dearly dep[ressed and broken he]arted"), which itself alludes to the kind of address given at a funeral...and what is the final track of an album if not its metaphorical funeral? I probably am making some tenuous links here but hey, albums I can spend time playing with are my favourite kind of albums. It's small elements like this that make the record something more than 'just' an album.
Lovely, Little, Lonely is, to quote John O'Callaghan himself, "for anyone who needs it". For whatever reason you decide to listen to the album; whether it's because you desperately need something positive to cling onto, or just something chilled-out to listen to in your car on a summer's day, LLL will be there for you. Even if you have never so much as heard a single note of The Maine's music before, I'm sure that the album would be just as enchanting.
This band can do no wrong in my eyes; they are such talented musicians and perhaps even greater people. (Look, the only reason I didn't give the album a 10/10 was because I figured there had to be a little bit of leeway for the next record, which will almost certainly somehow be better than the last. Sue me.) From one album to the next, this band's sound is reinvented, yet the music always retains their distinctive blend of poignant candour and tenacious, hopeful optimism, making every new record feel at once both refreshing and familiar. The Maine's music has always been uplifting and Lovely, Little, Lonely is no different. They continue to deliver time and time again, satisfying my need for honest, heartfelt, uplifting tunes but always, without fail, leaving me wanting more.
See you next time!
Georgia
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