The Maine - XOXO: From Love and Anxiety In Real Time (July 9, 2021) Album • Page 27

Same, this is actually their shortest album to date. Really feels like it could have done with another song or two to pad it out.

 

Final 3 song stretch is just amazing. Wow.

 

Only new song I’m not really digging is High Forever. Maybe that’s a grower. I wish Love in Real Time was longer.

 

I'm going to go against the flow here and say that I'm not really feeling this album. It's not a bad album per se, but knowing this is a The Maine album somewhat spoils it for me because it forces me to evaluate it not in isolation but relative to their previous discography.

In my opinion, the band had an incredible run of albums between FH and LLL (Pioneer was a little too self-indulgent for my taste), but I wasn't a fan of YAO-s string sections on almost every song, the trademark Matt Squire production, and songwriting was iffy on some tunes. I think they said on Pillar that Colby produced this album. Hence, I was optimistic that YAO was an outlier (it was before Sticky was out) since he has produced all of their most acclaimed work, but this seems more like a progression off YAO sound than a course correction and I'm not sure if it works.

There are some good songs on the album, such as Lips (I actually preferred the demo, but the final version is not bad either), DPB, FTTS, but the rest is pretty mediocre, and somebody else has done the exact thing they are trying to do before, but better. High Forever makes me feel like I'm listening to an Imagine Dragons B-side or something You Me At Six would've put out circa VI era. If Your Light Goes Out is this super-polished sing-along ballad meant for radio, but the end result feels like John got ahold of a We The Kings instrumental and decided to put his vocals over it. Sticky itself is an alright song, but it has all these little details that make it feel somewhat artificial (reversed piano hits, bass slides, the rising cinematic pad in pre-chorus, etc). These are so noticeable that they take me out of listening to the actual song. Pretender is probably my least favorite song on the album. It might seem oxymoronic to bash the most "The Maine" song on the album, but the alternating quiet and loud parts on it are incredibly annoying to listen to, and I wish it was more consistent, not jumping up and down. Lastly, I feel pretty indifferent towards April 7th and Love/Anxiety In Real Time. These are not bad songs, but at the same time, nothing noteworthy either.

All in all, I would rank this above B&W, CSWS, YAO, but definitely not higher. As I said, there is nothing about this album that hasn't been done better in the past. Why should I listen to it when I can listen to the songs/albums where the band is obviously pulling from? I appreciate the effort, and if it was some unknown band putting out this album, I would be more hyped, but this is The Maine. Compare the ballads of this album to something like These Four Words or 24 Floors, and you should see where I'm coming from. Or really anything from this album to songs like White Walls, (Un)Lost, Sound Of Reverie. I think it's pretty clear that they are shooting for radio airplay here, and I respect that decision, but I wish their approach was less paint-by-numbers and felt more authentic.

 

W h o a. That was tight. And my computer literally shut off as soon as the closer ended like it was the sun goin out cinematic

 

If Your Light Goes Out into Pretender was very cool.

 

All the ballads on this are better than 24 floors.

 

hard agree

 

It’s crazy because I thoroughly enjoy this, but there is a lot here I can totally see/agree with in part lol

 

Only 3 Songs in and I am in LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

 

"If your light goes out" is soooo fucking good!

 

Wasnt crazy impressed on first listen, but there was more than enough for repeat listens!

 

Holy fucking 1975 on Love in Real Time. That’s the closest thing I’ve heard to ILIWYS in a minute, and that’s one of my top 3 albums of all time.

really loving this record so far

 

RIGHT?!?!?!!??!?! sooo damn good!

 

Dirty, Pretty, Beautiful has wicked The 1975 vibes as well

 

Album name being Dirty, Pretty, Beautiful would’ve been sick - and it should’ve been the *lead* single. I can’t believe they chose not to make it a single at all.

 

It’s great haha very “the maine”. Seems like that one could fit on almost any of their records

 

could have been part of LLL hands down!

Anxiety in Real Time just destroyeeddddd me

 

I also agree with the opinion that it feels a little less authentic on parts of the record. Like the last 3 tracks are the best by far - they’re cohesive songs with a story, easily their best and most complete feeling stuff since LLL. The first half of the record just feels pieced together with songs that are angling towards radio play. It definitely ruins it for me a bit.

 

I love the whole thing. Start to finish.

gonna listen to it again!

 

Whilst I agree that Dirty, Pretty, Beautiful would’ve made a brilliant single, I feel like it’s a similar situation to Cruel Summer on Taylor’s Lover - sounds like it would’ve been perfect as a single, but it felt so good to hear a song that good upon first listen of the record. Same goes for DPB here, I think

 

DPB - Anxiety - Sun

Magic

 

"Sticky" is a perfect lead single.

 

i don’t trust anyone who doesn’t like “april 7th”

 

Doesn't matter how many times I hear Cruel Summer....I still get amped up and giddy. that song just hits in all the right ways.