The Maine - American Candy (Album Review)

The Maine has gone through various transitional periods throughout their career. They started making waves in the dreaded "neon punk era", an era when most of their peer bands have broken up at this point. They quickly shifted their sound and focus. On their major label debut, Black & White, they scraped the neon for a more monochromatic color scheme (side-note: my review of that album from years ago still gets a lot of reads and is one of my best read reviews...that's a testament to that band). Then they went the indie route and have pretty steadily improved and impressed me. This band has a knack for writing catchy pop/rock songs. The band's last album, Forever Halloween, is my favorite and what I consider the standout album in their discography. My expectations were pretty high when going into American Candy.

This album finds the band taking a nice pop approach to their sound. I don't think the album sounds dated in style. It sounds like a very current style album while leaning on some of the great alternative pop/rock vibes from bands like Nine Days, Third Eye Blind, and Matchbox Twenty. "Miles Away" opens the album nicely. I really like the intro to the song. This band has a knack for having great first tracks. "Take What You Can Carry" opened the band's previous album, Forever Halloween, and is easily one of my favorite songs The Maine has written to date. So it's nice to see the band continue the trend with the first song on this album. "English Girls" is probably the best Third Eye Blind song that Third Eye Blind never wrote. It's catchy and well done. It's a great summer single. "Am I Pretty" has a similar Third Eye Blind feel as well. "(Un)lost" has a great vocal performance. "Diet Soda Society" has a great swagger to it. It has a nice upbeat chorus. I really enjoy the lyrics. The song, to me, screams single. It almost reminds me of an Everclear song in the way the vocals are done in spots. It's one of my favorites, if not my favorite song, on this album.

The production on this album is spot on for the style. The album sounds crisp, clean, and the mix is really nice. Overall the album is pretty masterfully done on all fronts and the entire package is pretty satisfying. At this point it seems like this band could easily pump out albums of quality material with how many great songs have been on their last two or three albums (this album included). I think this album sees the band return to their early roots while maintaining their evolution in a perfect balance that I absolutely enjoy.

The Maine is constantly pushing forward and coming up with songs that are entertaining and enjoyable. I think American Candy continues the trend. This album is a spot on great pop/rock album. I think this will no doubt be a standout pop/rock album this year. Right now it may not beat out my favorite album from The Maine, Forever Halloween, but it comes so close it's almost like splitting hairs. Honestly I could see this album maybe overtaking Forever Halloween over time as I get more listens of it and spend more time with it. All that aside this album is well worth checking out. I think if you've ever been a fan of this band, at any point in their career, there is something for you on this album.