Label: 8123 Records
Press release: American rock band The Maine announced their eighth studio album “XOXO: From Love & Anxiety In Real Time” will be released on July 9, 2021. The album comprises of 10-track and is their first LP in three years. “This album is quite literally a real-time dive into the duality of love and anxiety in my life. They are such opposing feelings, but they coexist all the time in my head. Life is a funny thing, but I believe everything is exactly as it should be.” says frontman John O'Callaghan. He continued, “For my two cents, XOXO is all of the best parts of The Maine. Just the right amount of ambition and nostalgia. It can be an easy listen or a hard look into the mirror. I hope it's whatever you need it to be.”
My thoughts: The thing with The Maine everyone says is that they get better with every release. I don't really agree with that. Sure the first album is cringy in hindsight (it still slaps though) and then they tried to mature too fast on their follow up (which I also enjoy) the next two albums saw them attempt to mold the sound they're now known for and people point out it's where the evolution to where they are started and I agree but I find it to be their weakest output. Albums 5 and 6 were masterpieces. Top of their game stuff then came album 7 and it was fine, but disappointing given their previous 2 releases. So here we are at album 8 and... They're back baby! This comfortably slots into that great tier of albums 5 and 6. The crazy part is I see this album aging even better than what I'm saying here. Long live The Maine.
Label: Hellcat Records
Press release: ka-punk pioneers The Mighty Mighty BossToneS will release their 11th studio record When God Was Great on May 7 via Hellcat Records. Co-produced by longtime collaborator Ted Hutt and Rancid frontman Tim Armstrong, When God Was Great is the culmination of their extensive and all-embracing career and sees the band bringing back friends, tourmates, and bandmates from the past for a sonic celebration that stresses the power of perseverance and human connection during tumultuous times. The album features 15-tracks that initially arose out of a collective sense of loss. “We were lightly writing songs before the insanity without any sort of timeline in mind. All of a sudden, the world changed and benchmark events in a very long career that we were looking forward to, such as playing with the Madness at the Greek Theatre, were taken away from us,” explains frontman Dicky Barrett. “With all of this time on our hands, we started writing at a quickened pace and we were really inspired. As grim as everything around us was in the outside world, this was the most fun we ever had making a record.
My thoughts: The Final Parade is quite a great way to end the album but apart from that and a few other moments (Decide, Bruised, Move, the two singles) When God Was Great gets lost in the shuffle. Nothing too memorable here as the bosstones sound disenfranchised with the state of the world (which we can't blame them for) but are still trying to play party music which just fails to blend itself so there is more somber moments than I'd care for. Trimming 5 songs of fat could've done this album some good.
Label: Arista Records
Press release: KennyHoopla is the latest US artist rising in the alternative/pop punk wave that’s towering over our heads this year. His breakthrough song, ‘Estella’ has been making the rounds on every nostalgic pop punk playlist since its release with its flowing abundance of youthful energy and guitar-driven pop/rock.
My thoughts: I do find it odd when artists label things mixtapes when I call it an EP but maybe that's just my oldness coming out. KennyHoopla may simply be the latest artist to revive the pop-punk sound but you'll have a hard time finding someone doing it better as he pulls from a mirad of influences. The first two singles were so strong I expected them to be the best this mixtape had to offer but the title track is full of energy and Silence Is also An Answer is a midtempo banger I could listen to over and over. Off the top of my head, I doubt an EP will be as strong as this one this year.
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