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Indie bands will always hold a special place in my heart. They have a way of saying the saddest things in the happiest way. In this case, The Maine’s self-titled album is yearning for something. A higher dose of a happy feeling, a way out, the truth. This album is full of messages that speak to the soul. 

The foolproof recipe for an upbeat heartbreaker like “dose no.2” and “thoughts i have while lying in bed” is as follows: 

• Have a really groovy drum beat that assumes the role of a pacemaker while your heart beat goes ballistic because it really is, just that good
• Channel your inner Emily Dickenson and turn your emotions into poetry
• Add some rhythmic guitars and fun synths
• Mix all ingredients together and release to the world

It’s easy for me to listen to a song and only pay attention to the instrumental. It’s only when I look up lyrics that I really begin to appreciate the artistic craft of an album. I had many moments with this album where I felt that weight in my chest you get when you hear a particularly painful lyric or you can picture exactly what the artist was describing. 

“cars & caution signs” was one of those songs for me. It begins with a 40 second instrumental, and only then does it go into the lyrics. It’s a contemplative type of upbeat song that asks the listener to put themselves in the passenger seat of a car and look out the window. I mean, when you start your song by saying “this song will be our escape soundtrack” and you deliver, what more could you ask for?

One of the songs that really surprised me was “the mood i’m in / jsyk.” I wish I could have been a fly on the wall in the recording studio for this one. This is a song that makes you want to see it live.

If I’ve been unapproachable, or I seem too emotional / Life has been a rollercoaster / So it goes / I’ve been avoiding confrontational bullshit conversations / So if I forgot to say hello / It’s just the mood I’m in

The state of not being able to communicate with people because life has been too much is something that is really hard to explain to people who don’t understand what that’s like. I wasn’t expecting to come out of listening to this song feeling so seen, but I guess that’s the power of music.

Lastly, I’ll talk about the first song I heard off of this album, the pre-release, “blame.” This song was on my playlist for July Favs (go check it out!), and I loved it the minute I heard it.  It’s upbeat, windows down in your car, just a fun tune that makes you want to move. The verses border on a rap that goes so fast you almost miss the beat change for the chorus. A hard hitter, this song surprises you at the beginning enough to keep you there for the rest of the ride.

I first heard the song “Another Night on Mars” by The Maine when I was in high school, but after that, they faded out of my regular Spotify rotation. This album brought me back into their little world. I highly recommend checking it out! It’s a fun one!