Ever since the end of Warped Tour 2016, The Maine, composed of John O’Callaghan, Pat Kirch, Kennedy Brock, Jared Monaco, and Garrett Nickelsen, have been teasing their fans with the promise of a new album. In April, the band from Tempe, Arizona released their sixth full-length album titled Lovely, Little, Lonely which did not disappoint. The album is fairly short, with just thirty-four minutes of play. However, those thirty-four minutes are filled with beautiful vocals, great beats, and even the sound of the ocean in two songs.
The Maine had been saying for a while that they wanted to create a record that flowed from track to track, which they no doubt achieved. With American Candy, their previous record, they focused on maintaining a similar vibe throughout the album. The same goes for Lovely, Little, Lonely but with a much different approach by the band. For this record, they made multiple brief tracks that serve as introductions to the song that comes after. Therefore, this is definitely one of those albums that needs to be played in order without skipping or shuffling tracks. While I’m not in love when other bands do this, I feel like The Maine made such seamless introductions that it works and even makes the songs better. I remember the first time hearing the song “Lovely.” I thought it was such a great way to prelude “Black Butterflies and Déjà Vu.”
Besides the seamless flow of this album, the overall sound and lyrics are particularly impressive. I have been a huge fan of The Maine’s varying sounds over the years as well as their lyrics (although some of their lyrics from the earliest years are questionable now). However, Lovely, Little, Lonely just takes everything to the highest level possible. Although the songs flow from one to the other, none of them sound exactly like the last. “Bad Behavior” sounds like the theme song to a summer blockbuster, while “Lost in Nostalgia” feels like it could be taken right out of the 70s. Lyric-wise, “Don’t Come Down” makes me want to fall in love, “Do Your Remember” party with my friends, and “How Do You Feel?” cry for days. There is such a variety of emotions that the sounds and messages of these songs convey, and that’s the beauty of The Maine. They aren’t afraid to tackle different topics and sounds in order to achieve exactly what they want.
It is obvious how much The Maine has evolved since they started their career as a band. Although they are all goofballs at heart, this album proves just how much effort they have put in the past ten years and counting to gain a mature sound and style. Lovely, Little, Lonely is such a special album that it should rightfully be put on repeat. From beginning to end, there is a song for everybody. I can’t express my love for this underrated band enough, so I highly suggest giving this album a spin if you haven’t already.
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