The Maine’s new album You Are OK is way more than just “ok”. This album is The Maine’s seventh album released and there’s just no stopping these Arizona rockers from taking over the world. The Maine are a five-piece band hailing from Tempe, Arizona consisting of members, John O’Callaghan (Vocalist), Jared Monaco (Guitarist), Kennedy Brock (Guitarist), Garrett Nickelsen (Bassist), and Pat Kirch (Drummer).
You Are OK is an album that breaks boundaries but at the same time is still true to The Maine’s classic sound. The Maine are a band that is unafraid of taking risks and making music that may sound different from their previous albums but still incorporate elements that make it so unique. As with all of their albums there is always an underlying message they want to get across. With this new album, The Maine simply want you to know that you are in fact ok, that whatever is going on in your life that everything will be ok. You Are OK touches on subjects of mental illness but in a whole new tone, different from their previous album Lovely Little Lonely. With this new album The Maine want to discuss mental illness but in a brighter light, to remind us that even if we are in a dark time that everything will be ok. Even the instrumentation in this album makes it feel bright and shimmery, with the use of more classical instruments like violins. The use of the violins in almost every track give the songs a hopeful outlook and really set the scene for the album as a whole. The Maine are known to be lyrical geniuses with every album they make and it is even more evident with this album. The most interesting part of this album lyrically is the fact that it opens up with the lyrics “I was on the verge of breaking down, then you came around” on the song “Slip The Noose”, and then closes out with a nine minute track “Flowers on The Grave” in which the same lyrics from “Slip The Noose” are used to close out the album. The way they decided to open and close out the album just shows how versatile The Maine really are.
The album features ten outstanding tracks, all unique in their own way. “Slip The Noose” opens up the album with a punch. Right off the bat we hear the classic sound of The Maine with new elements incorporated into the song. John sings the opening lines of the song, accompanied only by faint violins in the back. The song may start off relatively slow and soft, but once the chorus comes it really hits you in the face with the heavy beat of the drums and guitars. It’s a fantastic way to start off an album, it really gets you pumped up for the rest of it.
The next two songs to follow are “My Best Habit” and “Numb Without You” which were the two lead singles from the album. “My Best Habit” is another punchy, upbeat banger. It is definitely a song you would want to blast in the summer in your car with all your windows down for sure. The songs touches on the subject of expecting too much of someone and letting them down, but it’s also a celebration of just being yourself. “Numb Without You” which was the first track they released is another banger. It was the right choice to make it the lead single seeing how catchy this tune is. This track features a lot of classical instruments throughout it that give it a sense of depth. The line “You are the violence in my veins, you are the war inside my brain, you are my glitter and my gloom” is a standout lyric on that track and one that makes you want to scream it out loud.
Another single released from the album is the beautiful violin driven “Broken Parts”. One of the more instrumentally different tracks from The Maine has an empowering message of how we are all the same people even when we are broken and alone. Even though we are broken there can still be hope, which is the one of the main themes of this album as a whole. The violins in this track really give it a soft and hopeful tone, it makes you feel like you really belong when you listen to it.
Other stand out tracks on this album include the groovy tune “Tears Won’t Cry (SHINJU)”, the guitar driven “One Sunset”, and the closing acoustic track “Flowers on The Grave”. “Tears Won’t Cry” is a funky bass driven jam that will definitely get you off your feet and dancing. Like the other songs this one has an empowering message of just forgetting everything that has been bothering you for the night and letting go. “One Sunset” is a song you would want to blast as loud as you can and shout the words to, maybe even head bang to if that’s your kind of thing. Right off the bat the song punches you in the gut with a powerful guitar and drum line. The buildup in the chorus and the beat of the drums is one of my favorites as it leads you to want jump and dance like crazy once the chorus hits. This song has similar ties to “English Girls” off of American Candy, and it even sounds like it could have been on that album. The Maine close out the album with an absolute beautiful heartbreaker “Flowers on The Grave”. It’s one of the longest tracks on the album at 9:23 but for good reason. The track opens up with a somber acoustic guitar that really sets the tone for the feeling of the song. You would think that this would just be an acoustic track but we’re talking about The Maine here, what did you expect? Sure it starts out acoustic but about two minutes in the guitars and drums really kick in and its like a punch in the gut. Out of nowhere the song just explodes and goes into this anthemic chorus which really gives it depth in the emotion of this track. There’s something about John singing the lyrics “you don’t plan life, you live it, you don’t take love you give it” that just makes you feel so welcome and full of hope. Just when you thought the song couldn’t get any better, it does. The latter half of the song is actually just an instrumental full of all the violins you would hope for. It’s so beautifully done that it honestly made me cry. The instrumentals and the layering of John’s voice faintly in the background make it worth listening to the whole nine minutes that it is. The best part of the song has to be at the end when John sings the chorus to the opening song, “Slip The Noose” behind a beautiful instrumental. The way everything is layered at the end comes together so beautifully and it is certainly a tearjerker, but a hopeful tearjerker.
The Maine continue to reinvent themselves and take over the world one album at a time. You Are OK is an album that many people have already connected with. It’s an album that you would want to blast on those warm summer night drives. An album you would listen to when you feel alone. An album you would dance to, cry to, or even head bang to. An album you would connect to. Whatever this album is to you, just remember, you are ok.
Standout tracks: One Sunset, Flowers on The Grave, Broken Parts, Slip The Noose, Tears Won’t Cry (SHINJU)
Rating: 4.8 of 5
Listen to You Are OK here!
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