The Maine – ‘XOXO: From Love & Anxiety in Real Time’

The Maine have been tapping into our deepest, darkest, and most vulnerable thoughts since we were teenagers. Fans have grown with them from their purest pop punk days when the band themselves were still kids, to the wholesome and caring men that they are today, and all the while it feels like they’ve been right there by our side through thick and thin. 

And that’s exactly what ‘XOXO: From Love & Anxiety in Real Time’ is all about: unconditional love. The good kind, the messy kind, the new kind, the everlasting kind, the scary kind. The kind that sticks around even when shit hits the fan, or you find yourself to be at your very worst. 

From start to finish, you experience all aspects of a relationship and gain an understanding that it is all facets – not just the good bits – that make love so special, and that push you to be stronger in any relationship. From the lustful infatuation that defines album opener ‘Sticky’, to the warm embrace that comes in the form of ‘If Your Light Goes Out’, all the way through to the triumphant and hopeful ‘Face Towards the Sun’, you’ll find yourself reflecting on past and present love and realising exactly what you’re worth. Which, as The Maine will tell you, is far more than you think.

As well as maturing lyrically, as the Arizona five-piece so clearly have over the years, their sonic positioning has grown, too. Refusing to allow the industry to overtake them, The Maine have stayed ahead of the curve, never producing the same album twice and always giving fans something new to get very, very excited about. ‘XOXO’ is no different. In fact it may well be their most sonically cohesive album yet, with songs transitioning seamlessly into the next (‘Lips’ and ‘Love In Real Time’ could easily be mistaken for the same song if you’re not paying close attention) and perfectly supporting the strong thematic narrative that has been created. Each song is technically tight and carefully crafted, leaving little to no room for criticism from either existing or new fans. 

As far as highlights go, they’re almost impossible to pin down because while no two songs sound the same, they are each a vital piece of this gorgeous puzzle, and to analyse this album without any one of them would be to break the carefully constructed narrative. That said, the intimacy and vulnerability that’s shared with fans in ‘April 7th’ demands fierce applause, as does the sentiment shared in ‘Dirty, Pretty, Beautiful’ that imperfect love is somehow perfect in and of itself – something we often forget in the heat of the moment. ‘Face Towards the Sun’ feels comfortably reminiscent of 2019’s ‘Flowers on the Grave’, providing what will almost certainly be a last chance to let loose when The Maine return to the stage later this year and, musically, is undoubtedly the strongest track on the record. 

‘XOXO: Love & Anxiety in Real Time’ is undeniably up there with The Maine’s strongest material, telling a story so powerful and detailed yet simultaneously so relatable that you can’t help but love it. The understanding that so many emotions can exist in one single space – how you can be the happiest you’ve ever been while also being the most scared you’ve ever been – forces you to acknowledge that love doesn’t make everything better, but having a rock to lean on will only ever make those tough times easier. As the final, gentle notes of ‘Face Towards the Sun’ play out, you’ll find yourself falling love all over again; with yourself, your family, your partner and your friends. It’s a love that will continue to swell with each listen until you’ve all but burst, only this time there’s no rug to be pulled from under your feet, because this love encapsulates the good, the bad, the ugly and everything in between. It’s the most authentic kind of love there is and, one that will always be there to come back to in the form of this stunning record. 

YASMIN BROWN