Well, after coming up on my iTunes under ‘Gucci’ I managed to find my sampler of The Maine’s 'Black And White' album, out this month. The Maine are one of the rising stars of the ever growing pop rock scene. The album, produced by heavyweight Howard Benson, who has worked with My Chemical Romance, Papa Roach and Daughtry, instantly gives the album credibility, and the production on the CD is flawless. Already the album’s achieved Billboard Top 20 status in America and they’ve been selling out tours on both sides of the Atlantic.
‘Inside of You’, the first single from the album, kicks off with drums before frontman John O’Callaghan comes in over the top. His voice fills your speakers with delight. It’s definitely similar to their friends in Mayday Parade. The chorus is big and loud, and absolutely perfect. It may not be summer yet, but this is a song for a hot day with blue sky’s stretching to the horizon.
It’s not a huge jump to ‘Right Girl’ (another single) but you’ll still be enthralled. It’s slightly less powerful than ‘Inside of You’ but it’s still another track that you’ll be bouncing and singing too. The guitar lick and the beginning just serves for what to come. If you listen carefully you start to appreciate the harmonies buzzing about, but they’re so subtle that you don’t appreciate them on the first listen. The songs, all about girls and love, aren’t the most difficult lyrics to get into, but they also don’t provide very much substance for anybody that’s into that kind of thing. Although if you’re listening to The Maine you’re probably not.
‘Don’t Stop’ is not another awful cover of Journey, no, it’s a song with a big sound, a big chorus, and, unsurprisingly, it’s another song about a female. There’s an acoustic section that really highlights everything about the band. The main mix may be crammed full of piano, guitars, drums, voices but if you strip them back you see just what The Maine can do.
Penultimate track, ‘Untangle Me’ sees a slightly different start. It’s not all electric guitars up front but something somewhat quieter. However when you get to the chorus it still bursts open into a wonderful chorus that’s like the plague. (That’s the fact that it’s catchy, not the fact you’ll die from it.)
Finally ‘Growing Up’ follows the pattern of the four before it. Everything’s going for it. The lyrics are, obviously, particularly relevant to those in their teens, but it’s not solely for them. The song wraps up the sampler rather nicely, and if the other half of the album is anything like the 5 songs I’ve heard then this will be in bedrooms up and down the country.
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It’s not a huge jump to ‘Right Girl’ (another single) but you’ll still be enthralled. It’s slightly less powerful than ‘Inside of You’ but it’s still another track that you’ll be bouncing and singing too. The guitar lick and the beginning just serves for what to come. If you listen carefully you start to appreciate the harmonies buzzing about, but they’re so subtle that you don’t appreciate them on the first listen. The songs, all about girls and love, aren’t the most difficult lyrics to get into, but they also don’t provide very much substance for anybody that’s into that kind of thing. Although if you’re listening to The Maine you’re probably not.
