Here are some examples:

• 2021: Free Fallin’ - Tom Petty (don’t ask)

• 2022: Don’t Feel Like Feeling Sad Today - YUNGBLUD

• 2023: Celebrity (blood bunny version) - chloe moriondo

• 2024: Are You Bored Yet? - Wallows (feat. Clairo)

• 2025: I Think I’m OKAY - mgk (feat. YUNGBLUD) & Entropy - Arrows in Action

This year is also a little bit different, for one reason: since I started University, I have a final day of lectures and a final day based on my finals. I’m currently considering doing a post-finals closer, but I’m not sure yet. There likely won’t be one since all of my finals are later.

Anyway, enough stalling.

As such, for 2026, The Closer Track of The Year is…

Warning Signs - Broadside!

Congrats on being the 2026 Closer Track of the Year.

I don’t have much else to say except, it’s a great track, go listen to it, and finally, have a great summer!

Updates

I’m going to be moving on from Substack soon. If you are reading this, you are on the Substack version of the article. There is the same version of this article on my newest newsletter page on Beehiiv. Similarly, I’m transferring over many of my newer articles onto that page, with four more articles releasing in the coming months prior to the full switch over. I’ll give more information as time gets closer.

Anyway, thanks for sticking with me throughout the past three years, and I’ll see you soon in the next chapter!

Here are some examples:

• 2021: Free Fallin’ - Tom Petty (don’t ask)

• 2022: Don’t Feel Like Feeling Sad Today - YUNGBLUD

• 2023: Celebrity (blood bunny version) - chloe moriondo

• 2024: Are You Bored Yet? - Wallows (feat. Clairo)

• 2025 (Pre-Grad): I Think I’m OKAY - mgk (feat. YUNGBLUD)

This year is a little bit different, for one reason: I’m graduating this year, so I have a pre-grad and post-grad closer.

Anyway, enough stalling.

As such, for 2025, The (Post-Grad) Closer Track of The Year is…

Entropy - Arrows In Action!

Congrats on being the 2025 (Post-Grad) Closer Track of the Year.

I don’t have much else to say except, it’s a great track, go listen to it, and finally, have a great summer!

Updates

review_bytes

As you may have noticed, review_bytes has been on hiatus since 2024. I was very burnt out from reviewing so many albums for the 2024 edition, that I just needed some time to reset. Expect more short form reviews in the coming months.

KAG Articles

The Maine Sweet 16 / 17 Special has just concluded its migration, and as such, to celebrate, get ready for the next few most important upcoming specials:

• The Maine Excellent 18 Special (Parts 1-13), featuring

  • American Candy (Parts I and II),

  • Forever Halloween (Parts III to V),

  • Pioneer (Parts VI to VIII),

  • Can’t Stop (Parts IX to XI), and

  • dyed (Parts XII and XIII)

• The Number 152 (Parts 1-17), featuring

  • 152 (Parts I and II),

  • Tidal Wave (Parts III to V),

  • Happiness Is (Parts VI to VIII) + Complete Recordings (Part IX),

  • New Again (Parts X to XII),

  • Louder Now (Parts XIII to XV), and

  • Tell All Your Friends (Parts XVI and XVII)

• Duality, or The Story of Setlists (Parts 1-12+), featuring

  • Love Is (Parts I to III),

  • dyed in colour (Parts IV to VIII),

  • I’ve Been Here Before (Parts IX and X),

  • Inside: Sonder (Parts XI and XII),

  • Loss Is (TBD)

More information should arrive over the coming weeks.

off_centre

If you haven’t already, check out all nine chapters of A How To Guide on How to Survive: A Story of Wounds and Scars in Real Time (working subtitle), my planned valedictorian speech for if I did win, as well as On “How To Survive”: A (Small) Discussion on My Wounds and Scars, which includes the compendium version of “How To Survive”, out now.

And that’s it. More news will come soon. Have a great summer!

Here are some examples:

• 2021: Free Fallin’ - Tom Petty (don’t ask)

• 2022: Don’t Feel Like Feeling Sad Today - YUNGBLUD

• 2023: Celebrity (blood bunny version) - chloe moriondo

• 2024: Are You Bored Yet? - Wallows (feat. Clairo)

This year is a little bit different, for two reasons.

1. I’m graduating this year, so I have a pre-grad and post-grad closer.

2. My school is holding report cards hostage, so there may also be a closer for that day as well.

Regarding these, I’ll have a closer for pre-grad, post-grad (and maybe a final closer).

Anyway, enough stalling.

As such, for 2025, The (Pre-Grad) Closer Track of The Year is…

I Think I’m OKAY - mgk (feat. YUNGBLUD)!

Congrats on being the 2025 (Pre-Grad) Closer Track of the Year.

I don’t have much else to say except, it’s a great track, go listen to it, and finally, have a great summer!

Updates

review_bytes

As you may have noticed, review_bytes has been on hiatus since 2024. I was very burnt out from reviewing so many albums for the 2024 edition, that I just needed some time to reset. Expect more short form reviews in the coming months.

KAG Articles

The Maine Sweet 16 / 17 Special has just concluded its migration, and as such, to celebrate, get ready for the next few most important upcoming specials:

• The Maine Excellent 18 Special (Parts 1-11): American Candy, Forever Halloween, Pioneer and Can’t Stop: Completed by Jan 2026.

• The Number 152 (Parts 1-18): 152, Tidal Wave, Happiness Is + Complete Recordings (ex. Acoustic), New Again, Louder Now, Tell All Your Friends: 2026

• Duality, or The Story of Setlists (Parts 1-10+): Love Is / Loss Is, dyed in colour, I’ve Been Here Before, Inside: Sonder, IWEEWD / Even You, My Love (unconfirmed): 2026-2027

More information should arrive over the coming weeks.

off_centre

If you haven’t already, check out all nine chapters of A How To Guide on How to Survive: A Story of Wounds and Scars in Real Time (working subtitle), my planned valedictorian speech for if I did win, out now. Likewise, checkout On “How To Survive”: A (Small) Discussion on My Wounds and Scars, which includes the compendium version of “How To Survive”, out tomorrow at 1300 PDT.

And that’s it. More news will come soon. Have a great summer!

Over the years, no true artist has told a strong story apart from a few outliers. One of which is none other than The Maine, whose 6th album Lovely Little Lonely I discovered back in late 2023.

As such, to celebrate the band’s seventeen years of writing music, let’s continue our look into four of their most important albums. This is the Final Part of The Maine’s Sweet 16 / 17 Special, and last time, we looked at the second part of their possibly most popular album: Little. Today, we conclude our dive, looking onward to the final four tracks with Lonely.

Lovely Little Lonely is the sixth studio album by American rock band The Maine and was released on April 7, 2017, through the band’s label 8123. It debuted at number 32 on the Billboard 200, however, it reached as high as number 4 on the US Top Rock Albums chart and at number 3 on the US Independent Albums chart.

Today, we’ll have a look at the final third of the album: Lonely.

IX: Lost In Nostalgia

This is a very short section opener compared to the rest.

Don’t you get lost in nostalgia, no
Turn something soft a little louder, yeah
Don’t you get lost in nostalgia, no
It’s not too late, it’s not too late, no

And as such, I shall keep it short and move in harsh tones into…

X: I Only Wanna Talk To You

We start with this… acoustic sound? This isn’t Oasis, this is The Maine.

The only thing I’m really sure of
I’m unsure of most everything
But I’m looking up and looking forward
There’s nothing back there for you or me

All is beyond the past. In a way, there’s nothing back there.

So you say you are
Broken, beaten
Used and mistreated
Tired, shattered
Bruised and battered

Oh. Okay then.

The only thing I’m really sure of
I’m unsure of almost everything
But I know, I know

I only wanna talk to you
I only wanna talk to you
I only wanna talk to you
I only wanna talk to you
I only wanna talk to you, now
I only wanna talk to
To you

Loneliness: it’s not good. I would know. Or grief, also not good. I would know.

You see, yesterday I said tomorrow
I learned today tomorrow can’t be saved
And the less you know the more

Wow. Multitudes of possible interpretation in only three lines. Either grief, loss, or confession. I don’t know though. The only thing I’m really sure of
I’m unsure of almost everything (sorry). We get most of the same up to the bridge:

So we speak in cursive
About the way it was
When days were young
But now the clock talks so loud
Articulate and perfect
About the way it is
And we ain’t kids
The clock, it always talks so loud

Oh, dear nostalgia. Don’t get lost in it. It builds and then slows, transitioning into…

XI: Lonely

May it bloom again soon.

I remember feeling weightless
In the deeper end
And drowning
In the fear again

Feeling so much you feel nothing. The blur of time passing by and slowly ticking away.

And the lovely little loneliness
Would hold me down
Under the sound of being found

We pause for a bit, and get one final line:

But then it all turned around

And it does. Shifting from a more sharp, sombre tone to the crashing waves, with a very interesting lyric video:

And as we take a final breath, right before…

XII: How Do You Feel?

We bloom once again.

Dearly depressed and broken hearted
I’d like to let you know that boys cry too
Don’t let them (s? / t?)ell you how you’re feeling
I wonder why nobody is asking you

I don’t know if it’s tell or sell, but sell would be a cool twist. So, I ask you:

Are you free or are you in sorrow?
Are you free or are you being borrowed?

I am the latter, for both, and then, after a lot of build up:

How do you feel?
What’s your condition?
You are alive but are you living?
Give me your voice and I’ll give it a listen
Are you complete or is something missing?
So tell me
Do your hands shake?
Does your heart break?
When the earth quakes
Whatever it is
Whatever it isn’t
Make sure that it’s real
Oh, now, how do you feel?

We get a sense of release. Life is strange, we never truly know what it is like, but:

To all the dearly depressed and broken hearted
The in-betweens and all the (torn? / charmed?) ones too
You’re not alone in how you’re feeling
I wonder why nobody is asking you

I don’t know if it’s torn or charmed, but it’s a great shift in sound. We get a nice crisp sound stage, before narrowing in for the bridge:

How do you feel?
Do your hands shake?
Does your heart break?
When the earth quakes
Are you free or are you being borrowed?

And then, for one final time, we build into a grand large sound!

And then we get a sort of strong chaotic sound, before dying out. And of course, nothing beats a good music video:

Wow. It’s okay, I’m okay.

Conclusion

This was one of the best albums from the best artist I have ever heard. To quote my review of this album: “Wow. I mean wow. Not once since I found The Maine would I enjoy an album as much as this one. Dare I say, this is the best album ever. I know I said this with The Maine’s self titled, but I was wrong: this is the actual best album ever made. I don’t know what else to say apart than: 8123 is everything, and Lovely Little Lonely is the best album of all time.”

I still stand by these words to this day. I loved this album, and still do.

But unfortunately, nothing lasts forever…

And with this, The Maine Sweet 16 / 17 Special comes to an end.

Eight parts, eight months, four great albums.

What else is there to say? Except long live 8123.

Epilogue

I don’t have much else to say except we did it. Since I started writing this set back in October 2023, I have discovered a lot about my tastes in music. And wow, what an ending to a part of my life. As well, I was able to get some great things over the past few months. I got to travel and sleep in residences at university for the first time, saw a beautiful sunset with the crew, and get 100% on my Calculus Final.

For all of you reading these, thank you so much for reading my ramblings on The Maine for the past eight months. As well, just for June 2024, go check out my newest KAG article on Substack. Similar to most of these, I also have some shorter form Album Reviews (review_bytes), as well as a more open version of my own work over the past few months.

Finally, have a great summer, signing off (for now).

(p.s. For some reason I have merch, so please buy some: B83 Club)

- Korv

Hey, it’s Korv.

I’m not dead, don’t worry.

I know it’s a bit more strange regarding the content here. So, to people asking:

• This was previously published on Medium back in 2024.

• The other parts are coming soon.

• I will return to put out more things. (I promise)

• More Info will be released in June. (I promise)

Over the years, no true artist has told a strong story apart from a few outliers. One of which is none other than The Maine, whose 6th album Lovely Little Lonely I discovered back in late 2023.

As such, to celebrate the band’s seventeen years of writing music, let’s continue our look into four of their most important albums. This is Part VII of The Maine’s Sweet 16 / 17 Special, and last time, we looked at the first part of their possibly most popular album: Lovely. Today, we continue our dive, looking onward to the next four tracks with Little.

Lovely Little Lonely is the sixth studio album by American rock band The Maine and was released on April 7, 2017, through the band’s label 8123. It debuted at number 32 on the Billboard 200, however, it reached as high as number 4 on the US Top Rock Albums chart and at number 3 on the US Independent Albums chart.

Today, we’ll have a look at the next third of the album: Little.

V: Taxi

In the backseat of the taxi
When you told me we were only
Two punch-drunk souls all tangled in the wind
And in the backseat when you asked me
“Is the sadness everlasting?”
I pulled you closer, looked at you and said
“Love, I think it is”

Oh, what a start. This song is a bit of a bummer. Case in point:

And it creeps on in
To the corners of yourself
Yeah, it creeps on in
Until it hurts like hell

But, it’s also introspective. And a bit calmer, something we very much need from the breakneck speed of Black Butterflies.

And you know I never knew how much I was getting into
No, I never knew how much I was getting into

Yeah. No comment. We get the chorus but with this interesting post-chorus:

I can’t say that I can make you feel
Complete or free from your worry
But believe me when I tell you
“Babe, you’ll never be lonely”
You’ll never be lonely
You’ll never be lonely
Don’t you understand?
You won’t be alone again

You know what, I needed these lines. Especially at the time of writing articles like From Anxiety In Real Time, and especially You Are OK and Lovely. And it has a dark video attached to it:

Damn.

I would discuss this more, but yeah. We get the verse and chorus with this big implosion of sound, leading into…

VI: Do You Remember? (The Other Half of 23)

Quite an unwieldy title, but still a good track. With a return to the breakneck sounds of earlier tracks like English Girls off American Candy or dose from their Self Titled, but louder.

Do you remember
The other half of twenty three?
All lit up together
Full of guts and dopamine
Invincible, or so it seemed

No comment.

Do you remember
The days we were golden
We would surrender
To just letting go
For worse or for better
Far from pretenders
We said forever
Forever ago
Do you remember?

Hey, remember Pretender? You know, back from around January 2024? This is the start of this theme. And a more brighter sound, similar to XOXO or the first half of American Candy.

Do you remember
Oh, the bayside
Out on Rockaway in June?
We’d leave the lonesome heat behind
For better weather
Sneaking out
And getting stoned
A time or two
Thought we were clever
But I know they knew

Oh, if I had this song back in early 2023. But it has a lyric video similar to Black Butterflies:

We get most of the same and then start to lead into the titular track of this section:

VII: Little

This is a bit of an interlude, similar to Lovely, but this time we get some poetic sort of sappiness.

It hit me today
Wherever you are is just where you’re at
Not where you’ll always be
So wherever you are in the world
I want you to be there
And only there
Please know that life would be shit without you
I feel all sorts of good just thinking about you
I mean it when I say it
I genuinely hope you find whatever it is you’re looking for
Even if you have to find it alone

I used to hate it, but I can’t hate it. It’s truth. Especially for me. Maybe someday we shall bloom again…

VIII: The Sound Of Reverie

Let’s take our time
While it’s still ours to take
’Cause some things hardly change
But nothing ever stays the same
Let’s fall back in love
With the world and who we are
And do the things we talked about
But never did before

Oh, if I could write this in a letter, I would.

And darling
Don’t blink because you will
And when you open up your eyes again
You may not recognise a friend

And if life would flash before your eyes.

It may be bittersweet
’Cause we’re no longer
Seventeen, but we’re still young
So dance with me in naivety
And follow endlessly
The sound of reverie

Fitting, considering the fact the band is now 17, this means a lot more.

Make up our minds
While they’re still ours to make
The past is in the rear view
And the future holds no weight
We’ve got a lot
But what have we got to lose?
Besides the track of time
And all the ugly shades of blue

Getting older sucks. I would know.

So forget the hearts and all the flowers
And we can share these clouds that I’ve been walking on
And focus on the trip we’re on

Remember two parts ago, when I talked about Flowers on The Grave? Yeah, this is sort of like this. It’s a beautiful thing. We get a similar monologue to Little in the bridge:

It’s tough to be anything these days

Oh, if I could mean this. But I can’t. And it has a great lyric video:

Don’t blink!

Intermission

Okay, we’re two thirds of the way through, and it’s a lovely album (I’ll see myself out). But I’m genuinely serious. I could not have asked for a more beautiful album.

So, what’s next? Let’s start to bring it all together now.

All bound by nostalgia…

- Korv

Hey, it’s Korv.

I’m not dead, don’t worry.

I know it’s a bit more strange regarding the content here. So, to people asking:

• This was previously published on Medium back in 2024.

• The other parts are coming soon.

• I will return to put out more things. (I promise)

• More Info will be released in June. (I promise)

So, let’s dive back into the past and tell this story, shall we?

I want you to close your eyes for a second. Where were you on the 7th of April, 2017? It has been 10 years since The Maine started writing music as a group. And it is on this day, that the band puts out their best album of their entire discography, only being challenged by their most recent effort.

It’s seven years later: 7th of April, 2024. I continued my journey through The Maine’s discography back before then. And after their seventh effort, I decided to look back further. And now, here we are. Seven years since the release of their sixth album, and we return back to their music.

As such, to celebrate the band’s sweet sixteen (now seventeen), we continue our look back on four of their albums, track by track, and see what makes them click to this day.

This is Part VI of VIII of The Maine Sweet 16/17 Special, and today we look into what may be the best album of all time: Lovely Little Lonely.

Lovely Little Lonely is the sixth studio album by American rock band The Maine and was released on April 7, 2017, through the band’s label 8123. It debuted at number 32 on the Billboard 200, however, it reached as high as number 4 on the US Top Rock Albums chart and at number 3 on the US Independent Albums chart.

Today, we’ll have a look at the first third of the album: Lovely.

I: Don’t Come Down

We start with this nice fade in, and a strong guitar part.

Here’s to now
And to nothing else
In a crowd
All by yourself

I might as well say this: To all of the ones in the crowd on their own: I see you, I hear you, I am you.

To the lows and every high
The hellos and the goodbyes
In this moment, I could die with you
Never felt like this before
Dizzy, drunk, and beautiful
In this moment, I let go with you

And then, the sound washes over for the chorus:

When you are next to me and the music’s loud
Singing ‘Hey Nineteen’ somewhere in the crowd
We’re up so high
They can’t touch us now
We are thousands of feet from the ground
And won’t come down
We won’t come down

For people wondering: No, I don’t listen to Steely Dan. No, I probably won’t ever listen to Steely Dan. But take a look at the end of the chorus, seem familiar?

It sort of reminds me of High Forever (see part II), but this sort of acts as opposition to the main line in High Forever. We move into the second verse:

Yeah, here’s to all
To all this culture’s rules and your pretty things
How dirty, wild, blurry, juvenile
We ain’t got no time for what tomorrow brings
And the choir sings

Yeah, I don’t know what this means. I have been listening to this song since 2023, and I can’t easily explain this. The choir, if you’re wondering sings a shortened version of the pre-chorus.

It continues onward into a strong ending, slightly blurring into…

II: Bad Behavior

Okay then. How do I explain this?

“I never wanna be a distraction”
You say as
You’re unashamed and naked
I feel okay all over
Void of all composure

Okay, wow. That is the lyric.

And I know this may sound narcissistic
I like the lips you kiss with
But I want to wear your lipstick
’Cause it means I got to kiss them

Yeah, this is it. There’s more:

You say you like the sound of cigarettes after sex
And I say, “Yeah, yeah, yeah”

Okay. If you are under the age of ~16, I recommend skipping this. From this point onward, we build into the strongly-hitting chorus:

One, two hits
Her lips and bad behavior
I’m in danger
3, 4 AM
The feeling’s getting stranger
I’m in danger
Bad behavior

Is this a sort of song about that ‘one person’? It is. Can’t relate.

And I don’t have time for your feelings
You told me
You’re insecure, but don’t be
Stay soft, but don’t be gentle
It’s altogether mental
Let’s go to a place where we can forget
We haven’t left the room yet
You eloquently stated
“Leaving’s overrated.”

It feels floaty after this chorus into the bridge:

Oh, I inhale you in small doses
But adore you like the roses
You’re bad for me, yeah
But you’re bad for me, yeah
You medicate me with your poses
I’m a lush, I know you notice
You’re bad for me, yeah
But you’re bad for me, yeah
You’re bad for me, yeah
Oh, and I say, “Yeah, yeah, yeah”

We get a variation on the second half of the last chorus:

Oh, here we go again
Hope it don’t lose its flavor
And I’m in danger
Yeah, I’m in danger
I think I know that you’re bad for me
Oh, I know you’re bad for me, yeah

So that’s quite the track, and it has an interesting video as well:

I don’t have an easy way of explaining the significance of this song, but I will say this: It has to do with a major set of playlists that I will talk about at some point. It will make more sense then.

We slow down a little bit into:

III: Lovely

It’s a nice, calm interlude. Then building into…

IV: Black Butterflies and Déjà Vu

What would you say if you could say
Everything you needed to
To the one, you needed to?

Remember this line? You probably don’t. I made slight reference to this line in Part II, mostly as a passing remark regarding Sticky. But, here it is now.

You flash like a setting sun
You come around, I come undone
Can’t find the sound under my tongue
When I look at you

We build, a sort of readiness, and then into quiet pondering:

I lose my voice when I look at you
Can’t make a noise though I’m trying to
Tell you all the right words
Waiting on the right words

Oh, I know this all too well: The butterflies in their stomach, of a lovesick time. Literally.

Just another lovesick afternoon
Black butterflies and déjà vu
Hoping for the right words
Waiting for the right words

We wait for a bit, then back into the rush of the verses:

Just yesterday north of LA
I couldn’t help but think of you
Every time I think of you
You crash like a rolling wave
You come around I lose my brain
Can’t find the sound under my tongue
When I look at you

It reminds me a little bit of tracks like i think about you all the time, Sticky (hence the reference), Numb Without You, even tracks like Miles Away (from American Candy, which might be an Excellent 18 special review), or the prototypical example of Into Your Arms.

We get the chorus leading into a more calmer bridge:

I’ve been searching for the right words
Right words, but I
I can’t even find an echo
Don’t you let go
There are only twenty
Six letters I can use
Just to tell you I won’t let go
Don’t you let go

The second half builds into a strong outro chorus. Interestingly enough, “I lose my voice when I look at you” is supposedly a pangram. I can’t confirm that, but I can confirm it has a nice lyric video:

Intermission

Okay, we’re a third of the way through, and it’s a lovely album (I’ll see myself out). But I’m genuinely serious. I could not have asked for a better start to the album.

So, what’s next? Let’s develop this idea.

- Korv

Hey, it’s Korv.

I’m not dead, don’t worry.

I know it’s a bit more strange regarding the content here. So, to people asking:

• This was previously published on Medium back in 2024.

• The other parts are coming soon.

• I will return to put out more things. (I promise)

• More Info will be released in June. (I promise)

So, let’s dive back into the past and tell this story, shall we?

*WARNING: Certain sections of this make reference to self harm and suicide. This warning will return for each section that contains this content. If you need to skip, you have my blessing.

You head to the concession to get a drink, and a chance to rest from the strong sounds of the previous Act. But, like all things that come up, they must come down. You rest for a bit, and then return to your seat in row F, right as it returns.

What happens next? You’ll see soon enough…

We cut back to 2024. I discovered The Maine’s seventh album around October 2023, and its orchestral analogue some time later. As the poles start to warm back up into spring and I receive my vinyl copy of The Maine’s Self Titled, we return back into their music.

As such, to celebrate the band’s sweet sixteen (now seventeen), we continue our look back on four of their albums, track by track, and see what makes them click to this day.

This is Part V of VIII of The Maine Sweet 16/17 Special, and today we continue our look into quite a set: You Are OK.

You Are OK is the seventh full-length album by American rock band The Maine, released on March 29, 2019. “Numb Without You” was released as the lead single and “My Best Habit” and “Broken Parts” were the last two singles released from the album.

Today, we’ll look at the second half, dubbed Act II: The Fall. So, let’s begin.

Interlude V:

“Children are contemptuous, haughty, irritable, envious, sneaky, selfish, lazy, flighty, timid, liars and hypocrites, quick to laugh and cry, extreme in expressing joy and sorrow, especially about trifles, they’ll do anything to avoid pain but they enjoy inflicting it: little men already.” — Jean de La Bruyère, as stated in In Darkness and In Light, a short film by The Maine

D: So, why am I here?

P: We know that we like each other, right?

D: Yeah. So, why am I here?

P: Well, I wrote a song for you.

D: Really?

P: Yeah. Sorry if it was quite out there.

D: No, no! It’s okay. What’s it called?

P: It’s called “Forevermore.”

And speaking of…

VI: Forevermore

This is sort of an acoustic track.

Never really, really ever felt so at home before
Never really ever felt this strange and beautiful
All us boys and all us girls
Turned to diamonds, turned to pearls
And never really, really ever felt so at home before

Remember the quote I put at the start of the previous interlude? Yep, this is about the kids.

And I said, “I wanna feel like this forever”
Even if forever’s just for now
We’re on fire, let us burn
As the outside world, it turns
We are here and alive
In our corner of time
Forevermore
Forevermore

Oh, life and love is a funny place. This is sort of from the “looking glass”.

I never really, really ever felt so adored before
Never really ever felt this type of vulnerable
Don’t have to hide, don’t have to fear
All you have to be is here
And never really, really ever felt so adored before

It’s all self similar up into the end of the track, where it seems that the line Forevermore is sort of our return home, the resolution of the tension. We don’t get that at the end.

We are here and alive
In our corner of time
We are here and alive
In our corner of time

It all dies down instead. What a shift, first we had orchestral sounds, now we have acoustic, what’s next?

Interlude 6:

P: So, what do you think?

D: I loved it.

P: It’s a lot of fear to do something like that.

D: What kind of fear?

P: What happens at the end?

D: I don’t know.

P: All I know is, no matter what happens, I’ll still be with you.

D: In life and in death.

P: In darkness and in light.

P & D: Forevermore.

Damn.

VII: Tears Won’t Cry

*WARNING: This section makes reference to self harm and suicide. Compared to other sections, it’s quite tame. Skip if you need to.

We get a nice electric guitar to start off a very ‘grey’ track.

Tell me what you think about
Lovers leaving this evening
(With the blood red moon)
Sex and freedom, shelter and
(Sweet endings, too)
Disappearing like a thought
(Our forbidden truth)
Disappear, never get caught

The secondary name for this track is “Shinjū”, which generally refers to, how do I put this? Two people bound by love, “disappearing”, if you will (The literal translation is “Double Suicide”, which wow. I get that the lyrics refer to this very explicitly in the chorus, but damn).

The guitar pipes down to a nice bass part in the pre-chorus.

Dream with both eyes open
We can slip away
Our escape in motion
Now I’m wide awake
Save your tears for something
Worth crying over babe
Don’t waste them on misfortune
Darling, break away to a place they won’t cry
Baby, they won’t cry today

Okay. I have a remit to discuss some very challenging topics, but I can’t for the life of me bring up the chorus, except it’s strangely upbeat (Listen for yourself, you’ll see why).

Let’s move on to the next verse, which is quite similar to the first.

Tell me what you think about
Me and you and Valentine
(And desire too)
Safe and sound in paradise
(Just me and you)
No sense in trying to hide
(Oh, it found me, too)
Our lust and our wild eyes

Okay, so the track is basically just this duality between Love and death. I’m well aware it’s not really a duality, but it’s not what I would have expected on this album after the first half. And, because you read this far, here’s the chorus (if you’re interested), which the second and last are doubles.

Just like a secret lovers’ suicide
Kiss off into the sky
To a mystic place where tears won’t cry
We’ll borrow happiness just for the night
Where all our tears won’t cry
Oh and nothing can hurt you (Whoo!)
Just like a secret lovers’ suicide
’Til death do us unite
In a mystic place where tears won’t cry
We’ll borrow happiness just for the night
Where all our tears won’t cry
Oh, and nothing can hurt you (Whoo!)

Moving on…

Interlude 7:

The letters at the door read “I’ll be home tomorrow. — Love, P”.

D: One more sunset…

On a more optimistic note…

VII: One Sunset

We’ve had orchestral, we’ve had acoustic, we’ve had whatever Tears Won’t Cry was. Now, we’re on to orchestral rock.

Part I: P

As the sun takes the city
On the island of the rose
It’s not London calling me
It’s my heart back home

We start with this sense of longing. As we move into the pre-chorus, we get a bit of a shift near the end, and it’s more harsher or different than the rest starting on the line “Days, weeks, no light.”

Oh, she waits for me in the rain outside
As I patiently try to pass the time
Oh, I had my fun in the smoke and clouds
But the day is done, now all I want is to get out ’cause it’s been
Days, weeks, no light in this square mile
Her face, my mind, just one more twilight

We crescendo into the chorus, which is this multi-piece work in and of itself.

One sunset left in England
So go on then, trouble
One sunset ’til I see her
In her red sundress
So I’ll have a smoke and I’ll fix a drink
Then I’ll blow a kiss to the bloody queen
Oh, my love, she waits, so long overdue
One more sun to set, then I’ll cross the sea to you

I sort of see this as the conclusion of one side.

Part II: D

It’s been two weeks in the rain
And it’s hazy in my head
One more sunset in this place
’Til I see her again

We get a similar sound to Part I, so there’s not much to say.

Part III: Await.

The bridge is this repeating mantra.

Let it fade
Let it fade away, away
Let it fade
Let it fade

Leading into…

Part IV: Unite.

Which is just the second half of the chorus but with a different sound.

So I’ll have a smoke and I’ll fix a drink
Then I’ll blow a kiss to the bloody queen
Oh, my love, she waits, so long overdue
One more sun to set, then I’ll cross the sea to you

And then, we all fade out, as it rings.

Interlude 8

P: I don’t know if we can keep going together.

D: Why? After all that we’ve been through, you’re just throwing it all away?

P: No. I still love you. I just don’t think this is what I wanted.

D: What do you mean “Not what I wanted”, you said that you’d be there with me.

P: See, that’s why. After all you did with them, it’s like nothing’s ever good enough anymore.

D: I’m sorry.

P: No, you’re not.

D: I really am.

P: No, you’re not. You never were.

Wow.

IX: Broken Parts

This song means a lot to me.

Well, it isn’t getting easier
We are shattered everywhere
No, it isn’t getting easier now
But we’re not beyond repair

I’d been through a lot at the time I found this. Before The Maine and by extension 8123 helped me resurface, I was quite deep, and drowning by the minute. The only thing that would help me, at that time was music and art. Artists like Weathers, glaive, aldn, among others would bring be back up to resurface, but not completely. Only one helped me briefly resurface (which I’ll touch on when I talk about A & Z, one of my set lists I made in April 2023), but The Maine brought me back.

We build into the pre-chorus.

And we are brittle, beware
We crack, we tear
Handle with care
Half done entirely
We fall apart
Rebuild, restart
Right where we are
Found wanting everything

Then, it all gets pulled away into the chorus.

Fractured in fragments
Us fragile things
Falling to pieces
But we’re all the same broken
Fractions and halves of
Some greater thing
Falling to pieces
But we’re all the same broken parts

We get a bit of a return in the post-chorus, but we truly return in the next verse:

You can’t fall any further
Any further from the floor
So gather up yourself now, love
Just as you were before

These are quite short verses. We build up again in the pre-chorus, pull away in the chorus, and push back in the post-chorus.

We get a quiet bridge, in this strange orchestral soundscape soup.

We fall apart
Rebuild, restart
Right where we are
Found wanting everything

We pause, but just for a second. And as we return…

It explodes into the final chorus. Something so light, yet so powerful.

And with a great lyric video too. All of those mirrors.

We quiet down for one last breath.

Interlude 9

*WARNING: This section makes reference to self harm and suicide. Skip if you need to.

N: We interrupt today’s brief with breaking news: famed musician P has been found in critical condition at their home today.
What we know is that P suffered a gunshot wound to the head which appeared to be self inflicted. Police also found a camera supposedly streaming the incident to over 15 000 people. Reasons given in the notes supposedly included their former lover D’s cheating scandal, as well as kaleidoscopic visions during their final recording sessions, where friends and family supposedly stated that P quote, “had challenge communicating their pain and anguish, and would turn to medication.” While those feelings supposedly subsided, P later would plan a quote “Russian Roulette stream, like Derren Brown did in ’03. Only this time, I want to lose.”

- Hours Later… -

N: We now have confirmation from the medical staff that famed musician P has passed away at 1:52 am today. They were 23. A funeral service is planned for a week from now, and we have received a special programme to play as a result of P’s death.

Damn.

X: Flowers On The Grave

This can really be broken into three parts.

Part I: Nostalgia

We get this strange orchestral acoustic sound.

Feel the moment all around you
And the quiet that surrounds you
The time you have is sacred
Don’t wait around and waste it
They can’t take that away from you

We get another track similar to Broken Parts (by content, not sound).

Everything is temporary
Even the sorrow that you carry
So tell me are you okay?
You say you are okay
I’m okay now I’m with you

We get a nice chorus, that has a sound similar to 8 (a track by John The Ghost, which is the John’s side project) and it’s still just as dark.

’Cause you don’t plan life, you live it
You don’t take love, you give it
You can’t change what is written
So when fate cries, you listen
And flowers on the grave
Of the child that I used to be

It all fades back, and we get the same sound again.

It was summer when you told me
That you loved me by the oak creek
My ears had never heard that
Tongue forgot the words and
Feet forgot the Earth, it’s true

We get the chorus again, and a new sharper sound with strong string stabs as we lead into a nice instrumental peak.

You don’t plan life, you live it
You don’t take love, you give it
You can’t change what is written
Yeah, and karma is calling over and over
You don’t plan life, you live it
You don’t take love, you give it
You can’t change what is written
So when fate cries, you listen
And flowers on the grave of the child that I used to be

We get a nice instrumental and then we slow down. Then we get a driving drum part as we lead into…

Part II: Non-Permanance

Everything is temporary (Everything is temporary)
Everything is temporary (Everything is temporary)
Everything is temporary (Everything is temporary)
Everything is temporary (Everything is temporary)
Everything is temporary (Everything is temporary)
Everything is temporary (Everything is temporary)

Yeah, it’s just this repeating into some nice string parts, then quiets down, slowing into a nice guitar part added to the sound. Afterwards, we get a half time section, and a strong ritardando into some strange chime part, and then we move to…

Part III: Completeness

It’s a sort of half time guitar part.

Flowers on the grave
Of the child that I used to be
Flowers on the grave
Of the child that I used to be
Flowers on the grave
Of the child that I used to be
Flowers on the grave
Of the child that I used to be

We pause, and then…

We come full circle.

I was on the verge of breaking down
Then you came around
I was on the verge of breaking down
Then you came around
I was on the verge of breaking down
Then you came around
I was on the verge of breaking down
Then you came around
I was on the verge of breaking down
Then you came around
I was on the verge of breaking down
Then you came around
I was on the verge of breaking down
Then you came around

And we slowly fade away into the sound.

And as the curtains close…

As the lights come back on…

It ends.

Conclusion

As you get up, gather your belongings, you start to think: What a show.

And what an album. I love this album. It’s a beautiful album, and one that helped me through some tougher times more recently. I’m running out of things to say. But, I started to continue onward. Onward, to the best album.

— Korv

Hey, it’s Korv.

I’m not dead, don’t worry.

I know it’s a bit more strange regarding the content here. So, to people asking:

• This was previously published on Medium back in 2024.

• The other parts are coming soon.

• I will return to put out more things. (I promise)

• More Info will be released in June. (I promise)

So, let’s dive back into the past and tell this story, shall we?

Picture this:

It’s 2019, despite all of the strange things that have happened recently, from planes falling out of the sky, Julian Assange’s arrest, Theresa May’s resignation, to Hurricane Dorian’s landfall, among other things, you order a seat for a show.

As you walk in to the historical Paramount Theatre, all of the usual happens: ticket check, metal detectors, nothing much new. You take a seat in row F, not too close, not too far. The lights start to dim, and the curtain starts to raise, as the strings play a wistful cry from the pit.

Now, it’s 2025. I discovered The Maine’s seventh album around October 2023, and its orchestral analogue some time later. As the poles start to warm back up into spring, we return back into The Maine’s music.

As such, to celebrate the band’s sweet sixteen (now seventeen), we continue our look back on four of their albums, track by track, and see what makes them click to this day.

This is Part IV of VIII of The Maine Sweet 16/17 Special, and today we have quite a set: You Are OK.

You Are OK is the seventh full-length album by American rock band The Maine, released on March 29, 2019. “Numb Without You” was released as the lead single and “My Best Habit” and “Broken Parts” were the last two singles released from the album.

Today, we’ll look at the first half, dubbed Act I: The Rise. So, let’s begin.

Prologue: You Are OK

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published

You are a million different little things. 
You are the sunrise, You are the fall of the moon. 
A little love, a little anxiety, A skeleton of bones. 
A mess of ideas in your head. 
You are not what they say you are, you are so much more. 
You are humility, you are grace. 
You are a surprise, but never once a disappointment. 
You are glitter, you are gloom.
 Introverted, fucked up and fragile. 
A fraction of a half. 
You deserve to feel wanted, and young, and respected, and wild, and complex, and adored, and so on. 
You are a million different little things, just like me. 
But above all of these little things, you are the greatest thing you’ll ever know… 
You are you and You Are OK.

It begins.

As the strings start to quiet down, and the piano slows its rhythmic sound, and with one last deep breath…

I: Slip The Noose

The “choir” begins to sing.

Breakdown, hysteric and young
Uncomfortably numb
Then you sent my pain into oblivion
I was on the verge of breaking down
Then you came around
And not a second too late (Too late, too late, too late)

We meet two characters: our Protagonist and Deuteragonist (yes, that’s a real term). As the choir quiets down, we hear the drums and guitar strike up into the verse:

Well, give two fingers to the person that I used to be
You shook the noose, slipped my head loose
And now that boy is history

We hear about this other character, but not from the wider perspective. It’s as if the protagonist is singing directly to the other. And that’s exactly the case. It continues onward:

And you see that I knew better, yeah, I knew better
Than to refuse your hand, you rescued me from myself

It all quiets down into a whisper, ending with a strong downbeat into the chorus:

Oh, just slip the noose
Untie the rope from my wrists
I was about to let go
’Til I knew you existed

We then switch perspectives, over to the Deuteragonist:

Well, loneliness is hell and you’re alone
But I can tell you that it’s everything you need
Because it brought you back to me

Is this a love story? I think it’s a love story.

We get a nice half time breakdown after the second chorus, leading into a major shift:

Oh, just slip the noose
Untie the rope from my wrists
So break down, hysteric and young
Uncomfortably numb
Then you sent my pain into oblivion

We get this sort of back in forth, acting as a sort of conflict between the two perspectives: Love and loss.

I was on the verge of breaking down
(Oh, just slip the noose, untie the rope from my wrists)
I was on the verge of breaking down
(I was about to let go ’til I knew you existed)

All then comes together in the final few lines, as we slow down into a sort of breakdown:

I was on the verge of breaking down
Then you came around
And not a second too late

What a start.

Interlude I:

P: Look, it’s just —

O: Oh, I get it. You can’t keep doing this.

P: I screwed up, I’m sorry —

O: This is such a fucking challenge for you. When will you understand? You can’t just apologize for your shitty behaviour, and think that everything is just okay.

P: Fine. You made that choice when you said you liked me. You said you were willing to handle me at my worst. I’m sorry, but it’s my best habit.

O: Yet going around sleeping with them is okay? It’s just your habit to do this?

P: No, it’s letting you down. That’s what it is.

Yeah, you’ll be seeing lots of this.

II: My Best Habit

To begin, I’m not sorry
For myself or any part of me
I won’t beg on your pardon, you see
You know I’m not a human
One part anxiety using two parts naivety
Just to keep sane

Regardless of what others think, they are who they are. It doesn’t matter in this case, but it just might.

I’m a bitter little pill to swallow
I’m a little bit of let down, my
My feet are hard to follow
My best habit’s lettin’ you down
Am I makin’ any sense? I don’t know
I’m a little bit of let down, my
My feet are mine to follow
You don’t get to decide

This is self explanatory. We see a shift as well as we move into the first half of the chorus:

If you were waitin’ on the sunshine, blue sky
Cheap high, lullaby
Then my best habit’s letting you down
And if you’re searching for a sure thing, nice dream
Somethin’ like a machine
Then my best habit’s letting you down

I have a lot to say about these lyrics, but now is not the time. It’s a very strong personal connection. And the second half is one of my favourites:

To you, I don’t exist
Ain’t what you’re lookin’ for
Good thing I don’t exist for you at all anymore
So if you’re waitin’ on the sunshine, blue sky
Cheap high, lullaby
Then my best habit’s letting you down

We move onward to the next verse:

Now we’re back to the matter
Well, if it’s average you’re after
Or ordinary, you’ll have to move on
See, without me, I’m not myself
If I’m not me, then I am everyone else
And then who would be John?

This is connected as well to the bridge, which we slow down for:

As a single tear falls to the ground

Damn. What a shift. And a great lyric video too:

Interlude II:

P: I- I don’t know anymore. I’m sorry, but I can’t anymore.

O: I understand.

P: No, you don’t. You never would. D would, but not you.

O: Fine.

(O leaves, D enters)

D: What was that about?

P: I’m stuck with all of these thoughts.

D: About what?

P: You.

III: Numb Without You

Thoughts start to cloud our protagonist.

Let’s get this straight, you are
A panic in the bloodstream
Yet you bring me peace, you are
A stutter in the heart
That beats inside of me

Thoughts about someone, it seems:

You are my last, you are my first
You kill me for the better
(You) You are the rising tide
You’re every fuckin’ thing inside me now

We get a sort of heartbeat in the chorus via the strings.

You are the violence in my veins
You are the war inside my brain
You are my glitter and my gloom
I am so numb without you

We repeat this with a strong half-time drum part, accelerating back up for the next verse:

Let’s get this straight, you are
A fever in the cold
Yet I’m not shivering, you are
A shudder in the voice
That screams inside of me

We get this sort of shift in the next chorus into a sort of musical theatric sound, with some of the most interesting lines and orchestral parts of the entire album:

I won’t leave, no, I won’t surrender
Yeah, I’ll wait ’til the end of, the end of time

Fitting for a relationship that’s on the edge. And fitting for a track with a strange music video:

Interlude IV:

P: I don’t know what I’d do without you.

D: Me neither.

P: You know I’m serious, right?

IV: I Feel It All Over

With every single breath, oh, we’re singing every line
For every beating chest, I will give my bleeding heart
I swear to every god, I feel everything tonight with you

The choir begins to sing again, and a beautiful song at that. Fitting with the previous interlude.

When you’re unwelcome in your skin, it’s a symptom of the times
But there’s nothin’ left to lose, when there’s nothin’ left to hide
And I swear to every god, I feel everything tonight with you

As the verse starts, the strings start a sharp rhythmic march.

All the pretty faces in love and wide awake
Tonight I feel so make-believe
(Feel it all over)
Chances worth the taking just a touch away
Do you believe what you can’t see?
(Feel it all over)

We get a similar sound for the pre-chorus, building into a strong crescendo into the chorus before dissolving into the sharp march again:

We’re standin’ hand in hand, losing our cursed minds
Our backs against the wall
I feel it all, all over
We dance around the pain as the world breezes by
I feel it, I feel it, I feel it all over

We get a new perspective, a darker one. This is a story after all:

Stars that sound so charming, dramatic, it’s so true
We’re made up of a thousand scars
(Feel it all over)
So go and cry your heart out, this is what it says to do
Tomorrow’s gone, tonight is ours
(Feel it all over)

And we build into a strange orchestral soup with the bridge, before returning to coherency: a sense of euphoria in a way. And one that is very much needed for what comes next…

Interlude IV:

P: It all looks so beautiful, doesn’t it.

D: Yeah.

P: All the stars, the din of the roadways, it’s just us and our thoughts.

D: You know the track Halley’s Comet?

P: Yeah?

D: This feels like that.

P: You really know how to fit vibe to music.

D: Oh yeah?

P: I love that.

Ever walk in the dark, look up at the stars or out toward the lake listening to Halley’s Comet by Billie Eilish? It’s one of my favourite pastimes.

V: Heaven, We’re Already Here

We start with a strong foundation of strings, leading into a light vocal:

Blessed be the night we’re breathin’ in
Unforgettable and so benevolent
The closest that we’ll get to Heaven-sent
For all us darling aliens
And we will never be this young again
So full of fire and rebellion
Now shoot the night just like it’s medicine
And we all will be born again, again, again, again, again

And now, we get a quiet sound leading into a strong crescendo at the end of this refrain:

This is everything you prayed for
(Pray for, pray for, pray for)
This is everything I need
Please, don’t anybody pray for me
(My soul isn’t yours to save anymore)
Life is crazy, baby, don’t forget the seatbelt
Adjust the rearview, crack the windows, shut the goddamn doors
Our great unknown, the open road

We get another verse leading into the second half of this refrain:

Blessed be the sky we’re soaring in
So few of us and millions of them
Daylight isn’t far away, my friend
And we all will be born again, again, again, again, again

And then…

We launch like fireworks into the chorus!

So alive, we could die
As we drive all night in the afterlife
Through and through, by and by
Everything I love is right here tonight
Is it heaven? Heaven? Oh, it’s clear
Heaven, we’re already here
Let it live, let it die
No, we can’t get off, here we are tonight
Through and through, by and by
As we drive all night in the afterlife
Is it heaven? Heaven? Oh, it’s clear
Heaven, we’re already here

We slow down with the drums coming in a sort of half time beat for the bridge.

What you livin’, what you livin’, what you livin’ for?
What you livin’, what you livin’, what you livin’ for?
What you livin’, what you livin’, what you livin’ for?
Is what you’re livin’ for worth dyin’, worth dyin’ for?

And then, as we start to grow, we pause. And we get a great climatic chorus to end this Act off.

Intermission

Wow, you think to yourself. Where do we even go from here? You head to the concession to get a drink, and a chance to rest from the strong sounds of this Act. But, like all things that come up, they must come down.

What happens next? You’ll see soon enough…

— Korv

Hey, it’s Korv.

I’m not dead, don’t worry.

I know it’s a bit more strange regarding the content here. So, to people asking:

• This was previously published on Medium back in 2024.

• The other parts are coming soon.

• I will return to put out more things. (I promise)

• More Info will be released in June. (I promise)

So, let’s dive back into the past and tell this story, shall we?

As it starts to get colder near the poles, we often turn to warmth to find a solution. Previously, I talked about The Maine’s self titled. After a little while, I decided I wanted to hear more. So, I listened to their albums in the opposite chronological order.

Heading back two years, to 2021, we get album number 8, an album which has some strong tracks in and of itself.

And so, to celebrate the band’s sweet sixteen, how about we look back on four of their albums, track by track, and see: what makes these albums great?

This is Part III of VIII of The Maine’s Sweet Sixteen Review, and today, we’re continuing our look at Album Number 8; XOXO: From Love and Anxiety In Real Time.

XOXO: From Love & Anxiety in Real Time is the eighth studio album by The Maine, released on July 9th, 2021, via Photo Finish Records / 8123. The project was written and recorded in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Note: for this part, we’ll analyze the last five tracks, which I’m calling XOXO: From Anxiety in Real Time. So, let’s dive in, shall we?

VI: If Your Light Goes Out

This is sort of the big anthemic track for XOXO. And don’t take my word for it.

So tell me where do you go
When the hope runs out for a little while?
But you know if you wait on the world
It’ll only let you down

If I’m being honest, this is exactly how I feel about life. All the world does, as I wait on it, is let me down. All the pain and suffering in our lives drain our hope. So I ask you: where do you go when hope is running out?

Thought I heard someone say
In a cliché once, “Don’t you worry now
It’s only just the weight of the world
Not the end of it, you know”

The funny thing is, that if you paste this supposed cliché into your search engine of choice, it links you to this song. In reality, sometimes we have feelings that something is the end of the world, but it may be that we’re stuck carrying it on our shoulders. It’s the weight of the world, not the end of it. Rather prosaic.

I know after all this time I’m gonna make it
I know after all this time I don’t really have the time, no, no, no

Strange that this is part of From Anxiety In Real Time, rather than Love. But I think I have a reason for this. These two lines of the chorus, and one word: resiliency. This song has a very important meaning to me, the recent firestorm in most collective memory, this is but a reminder to persist.

It was just yesterday
We’d stay up all night at your mother’s house
And talk about the places we’d go
When we up and left this town (Up and left this town)

This best fits I think with another track: cars and caution signs (see Part I). We get these same ideas of escapism in a way, as well as some connection to the earlier tracks (see Part II) later on:

Yeah, you know that I’ll still be around
If your light goes out for a little while
And if you cannot carry the world
You can rest it on me now
(You can rest it on me now)

Oh, what a track. Just as lovely as the rest. On another note:

VII: Pretender

Oh, anxiety. Doesn’t it give us a reason to fit in, hide our pain, and well, pretend?

There’s always a reason
To stay inside your head
But you’ll never make it out

Being trapped in my head. What else is new?

So you found a reason (Give me a reason)
To make believe instead
Now you’re somebody else
But you don’t have to hide your scars
Not from me tonight (At all)

Now we’re talking. This is “The Pretender” we’re talking about here. Why are they pretending? Who knows. The line “But you don’t have to hide your scars, / Not from me tonight, at all” gives a bit of a reason. And interestingly, I relate a lot. We keep things hidden in life: the idea of Person v Persona (see Diet Soda Society). We get into the chorus, which is my favourite part of this track:

Show me the real you
Misunderstood can feel so good
You don’t have to hide yourself
Pretender, pretender
Show me the real you
Surrender yеah, I wish you would
You don’t have to hide yourself
Prеtender, pretend

In a similar way to If Your Light Goes Out, we get this reminder for us as people. More specifically, a reminder to “The Pretender”.

No song from these tracks is as perfect as Pretender. Well, except for one…

VIII: Dirty, Pretty, Beautiful

That’s quite a title, isn’t it? Sure, it may sound strange. However, it is by far one of the best tracks on the album.

Chemically everything’s telling me not to fight this
It’s metaphysical
Levity better be telling me that tonight’s just
A reason to lose
To lose control

Strong hitting lyrics, with the sharp stabs on guitar. What more could you ask for? How about a shift in tone from the rest of the track? We get exactly that in the chorus:

We’ve got this thing and it’s untouchable
It’s so dirty, pretty, beautiful
(Dirty, pretty, beautiful)
This energy is not material
And it’s never gonna let you down
Tell me, can you feel it now?

I’m not even gonna try to explain this, but here’s a stepping stone: listen to From Love In Real Time, and come back to these lyrics. Does it make sense afterward, and mean its a stretch to include it as part of From Anxiety In Real Time. Maybe. You wanna fight about it?

Chemically everything’s telling me it’s all righteous (Is it alright?)
You’ve got to learn to roll
I believe mentally clarity’s here tonight, just
Learn to relax
And free your soul

Quite a shift, ain’t it? I don’t have a lot to say about this, apart from here’s a strange pre:

I want people, not things
Your silhouette is gold
Keep all the finer things
I want intangible
Give me your energy
Give me invisible
A reason to lose
To lose control

Oh. This is a sort of love song right? Not my place to state more than I need to. However, we end off with a lead in to another song:

Is it alright?
Is it alright?
We’ve got this thing
Is it alright?
(Dirty, pretty, beautiful)
(Dirty, pretty, beautiful)
Is it alright?
This energy is
Is it alright?
(Dirty, pretty, beautiful)
(Dirty, pretty, beautiful)
Is it alright?

As we slowly fade from the high of this track, we get a darker lens…

IX: Anxiety In Real Time

You remember Love in Real Time? The one in the middle of the first half of the album? Here’s its dual form.

Now I’m thinking about the things that I should have said
And I’m lit just like the ash of my cigarette
Can’t stop thinking about the nights that I still regret
And I know
That this is all in my head
All in my head
All in my head
All in my head

Wow. What a shift from the first half. We get this dual theme in the first verse after a great guitar line:

So welcome to my
Anxiety attacking me in real time
I’ve never felt so freezing cold
In the middle of the summertime
Summertime

Freezing cold v comfortable. We’ve just started this, but it’s like we’ve been here before. Right?

It’s the same afraid I’ve felt before
I’m afraid how far this fall will go
Either way I’ve felt this all before
Yeah, I know, I know (I know)
That this is all in my head

The sound explodes into this “chorus” of déjà vu. We know what it’s like, but we can’t bring ourselves to it. For the second half of the chorus, we hear it split. On one side, we get this nice chorus line. On the other, we get the anxious wreck of the intro. You really need headphones for this.

So I tell them not to worry, I’ll get over it
I still say it even if I don’t believe it yet
Can’t stop thinking about the nights that I still regret
And I know (I know, I know)
That this is all in my head

Okay, no need to tell me how I feel. But yeah, this is one of my favourite tracks. It’s similar to blame or Broken Parts (see part V), and that’s why I love it.

Right as it all builds, it’s gone. Slowing down to a calm near silence, and then here comes the anxiety. It’s uncomfortable, like an anxiety attack is. But, we see that there’s a little bit of light. And as we resurface…

X: Face Towards The Sun

After I’m gone, your earth will be free to live out its miserable span of existence
As one of my satellites
And that’s how it’s going to be

This is supposedly a quote from a movie. I couldn’t find it though. Bittersweet in a way.

When the call came down
Well, my tears fell out under the midday sun
And I just hope you felt no pain at all
Dressed in your best
One last deep breath
As you turn towards the sun

We get a grand build up, similar to tracks like spiralling, or Flowers. There’s also no “chorus”, which is different.

I remember that
Empty chapel and the sound of “Barbara Ann”
It just goes to show, goes to show
There’s no sense at all
In making plans ’cause God don’t carе about our plans
Yeah, in the end timе will find us all
Dressed in our best
One last deep breath
As we turn towards the sun
Towards the sun
Towards the sun
(Take it out, take it out, take it out)
Towards the sun
(Take it out, take it out, take it out)

For people wondering, I do not know about “Barbara Ann”, and I will spend my life never truly knowing about it. We slow down a little bit for a quieter bridge.

Everything is exactly as it should be
Exactly as it should be

We just repeat this line, over and over, like the “everything is temporary” in Flowers. It feels different in a way. Like it’s all meant to happen in a way. I remember a question I was asked: Is life predetermined, or is it what we make it? And now, re-listening to this another time, I don’t know. We build back up to the grand climax, John sounding like he’s holding back tears, and for one last time, we breathe in, as we turn:

Yeah, I just hope you felt no pain at all
No pain at all
I just hope you felt no pain at all
No pain at all
As you turn towards the sun

Fuck. What an end to one of my favourite albums.

Conclusion

To quote my review of this album:

This is a beautiful album. While yes, it has its sound and themes “of the time”, it’s just as beautiful. The singles are some of the best tracks The Maine has written, and are clear highlights, alongside High Forever, Dirty, Pretty, Beautiful and Anxiety In Real Time. It’s definitely one you need to listen to in full. The ending with Face Towards The Sun is beautiful. This album will definitely remain in my rotation for some time. I’m ecstatic that I discovered this album at the time I did.

This has more of a meaning to me than ever before. It’s hard to even find things to say about it without repeating anything I have said. But one thing’s for certain:

8123 means everything to me, and no one can take that away from me.

One last deep breath…

— Korv

Hey, it’s Korv.

I’m not dead, don’t worry.

I know it’s a bit more strange regarding the content here. So, to people asking:

• This was previously published on Medium back in 2023.

• The other parts are coming soon.

• I will return to put out more things. (I promise)

• More Info will be released in June. (I promise)

So, let’s dive back into the past and tell this story, shall we?

As it starts to get colder near the poles, we often turn to warmth to find a solution. Previously, I talked about The Maine’s self titled. After a little while, I decided I wanted to hear more. So, I listened to their albums in the opposite chronological order.

Heading back two years, to 2021, we get album number 8, an album which has some strong tracks in and of itself.

And so, to celebrate the band’s sweet sixteen, how about we look back on four of their albums, track by track, and see: what makes these albums great?

This is Part II of VIII of The Maine’s Sweet Sixteen Review, and today, we’re taking a look at Album Number 8; XOXO: From Love and Anxiety In Real Time.

XOXO: From Love & Anxiety in Real Time is the eighth studio album by The Maine, released on July 9th, 2021, via Photo Finish Records / 8123. The project was written and recorded in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Note: for this part, we’ll analyze the first five tracks, which I’m calling XOXO: From Love in Real Time. So, let’s dive in, shall we?

I: Sticky

When I see your face
It’s like I hit rewind
Because you’re on repeat
Just like “so good” in “Sweet Caroline”

This track is one of many in this half which reference love. The reality of love in this is the idea of the lover sticking in your head.

I want to put you on
Like a ‘45

For context, a ’45 is a reference dating back to the vinyl days. Most enthusiasts refer to 7" records as 45’s, since most 7" play at 45 rpm. We move to the chorus, where this idea of a lover stuck in someone’s head is quite noted with the line, “Sticky just like the song in my head.”

And I swear
These days
You’ve been stuck in my brain
Want to play you
Over and over again
Sticky just like the song in my head

Forever sticking together, through thick and thin, as we move into the next verse:

And I’ve made mistakes
But you were not one
And I finally found those letters lost
Under my tongue

Finally knowing what they would say, if they could say everything they needed to, to the one they needed to. A reference back to Lovely Little Lonely’s Black Butterflies and Déjà Vu (which we’ll discuss in Part VI).

And I hear your name
In every single line
Of every single song I’ve ever heard and I
Still feel the same

It seems that their lover is stuck in their head, even leaking out into their own life. However, nothing changes, they still feel the same. Importantly, these thoughts are on repeat constantly:

And over, and over, and over

It’s a strange look at one side of love. Oh, did I mention that this has a surreal music video?

Don’t get too dizzy!

II: Lips

I don’t have an easy way to explain this, but this track is about how we interact with each other. Take this for example:

Let’s talk all about the way
The way your mouth moves
When you, try to speak honestly
You’re fluent in faking things

Lying is a major part of language, it’s a skill, and fluency in it is just as challenging as any language. With this being a track about interaction, there must be some more to it than that, right?

Maybe it’s that loose-lipped, way you make your words roll
Off that two-bit tongue, when you lie
You can’t keep talking like this
Lips do more than just kiss

Okay then, now we’re getting somewhere. But something’s strange. Look at the last line, what does it mean? Sure, lips do indeed do more than just kiss, but pretender-ship isn’t the main idea of this track (that will come later, in Part III). So, what makes this different?

Let’s talk about the way
The way we talk (Oh, yeah)
And how you
Gossip on everything
You’re so fluent in tragedy

Oh, the humble tragedy, so often known but disregarded for its sorrow. How about more of this idea?

You mislead, you rewind
On repeat, all of the time
Every word, every line
On repeat, all of the time
All of the time, yeah

Not only the humble tragedy, but the lovely lies on everyone’s tongue, chewed like a piece of gum. Oh, and did I mention it has a strange music video:

It’s eccentric to say the least. With the final lines, we transition smoothly into the next track:

III: Love In Real Time

So welcome to my intoxicated mind
Our love in real time
I’ve never felt so comfortable in the middle of the summertime
(Summertime)

Take note of this, we’ll see it flipped later (Part III). This track acts as sort of a roll credits for From Love In Real Time.

Working on our love in real time
Making all this love in real time
I’m falling more and more in love in real time
(I need somebody like you, I’m falling)
Working on our love in real time
(I need somebody like you, I’m falling)
Love in real time

There’s not much to say about this, so, how about a stronger track?

IV: High Forever

I wanna believe, wanna believe all of your energy
Is all that I need, all that I need
Like an amphetamine
But everything inevitably is temporary
And we all come down, down
All come down, down

Oh, we all return back from loftiness at some point. There seems to be a reference to Flowers on the Grave (which we’ll analyze in Part V, when we talk about Act II of You Are OK), but honestly, I don’t see it.

We ain’t gonna stay high forever
Life’s a bittersweet (Sweet) surrender
I’ll follow you, follow you, follow you down
Follow you, follow you down
’Cause we ain’t gonna stay high

The “High” I think is the sort of loftiness we feel in some cases. Oh, did I mention that all of the choruses of this track are doubles? So we get a major distinction between the lightness of the first time, and the strong hits and sharpness of the repeat.

I wanna believe, wanna beliеve that we’re in a fantasy
Whеre you and me live in a dream, dodging reality
But everything inevitably is temporary
And we all come down, down
All come down, down

See, this is that loftiness again. Am I wrong? Who knows. We slow down a little for the bridge, which is a sort of connection between people. “If you’re going, I’m coming with,” to be more precise:

Wherever you’re going, I’m coming with
Everything comes, yeah, Comes to an end
But everything (Everything), Inevitably
Is temporary and we all come down, down

We build up again for a grand climax of the final chorus, and slowly fade out into black. While this doesn’t have a music video, it has an audio video which makes me wish the other tracks had one:

Need I say more?

V: April 7th

To put it simply, this is a love song.

I see you when I close my eyes
I see you like I did that night
Now underneath the hi-lo lights
I see you there, I see you there

In a way, this is sort of connected to tracks like One Sunset (see Part V: YAO Act II), or maybe i think about you all the time or thoughts i have while lying in bed (see Part I: self titled). We get more of a view of this in the first verse:

And I said
“When I’m with you,

Well, it’s just like it’s the first time”
Never thought that you would turn into my best life

It seems that this lovely person turned into the best part of their life, bringing them back down in a way. A connection with a track like Slip The Noose (see Part IV).

April 7th never meant as much as that night

April 7th is the day that lead singer John O’Callaghan fell in love with his wife. Coincidentally, it was the release date of Lovely Little Lonely (see Part VI — VIII).

Eventually, we slow down to a slower bridge:

Even when my heart stops beating
Even when my eyes go blind
All I need is your heartbeat beating
Next to mine, next to mine
Next to mine

This has some similarities to another track: funny how? (see Part I), which has a similar sound and tearfulness, or maybe Into Your Arms from Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop.

And it has one of the most interesting music videos, detailing each stage of love, and starting with some of John’s prosaic poetry.

If you’re wondering, the seven stages of love are:

1. Attraction

2. Infatuation

3. Love

4. Trust

5. Worship

6. Madness

7. Devotion

Intermission

This is a great opening for an album that I have heard. We’re off to a great start for XOXO.

Now, we’ve seen a view From Love in Real Time, how about we look From Anxiety in Real Time?

Hey, it’s Korv.

I’m not dead, don’t worry.

I know it’s a bit more strange regarding the content here. So, to people asking:

• This was previously published on Medium back in 2023.

• The other parts are coming soon.

• I will return to put out more things. (I promise)

• More Info will be released in June. (I promise)

So, let’s dive back into the past and tell this story, shall we?

I discovered The Maine back in 2022, with the song ‘Loved You A Little’.

Ever since the lead-up to their most recent album, I was invested in the band’s music. From ‘blame’ to ‘Bad Behaviour’, I listened to each of their most recent albums. As of now, I have heard four of their nine albums in full. (spoiler: all of those albums are excellent.) Out of all of the albums I’ve listened to, there’s one that got me hooked in to the community that is 8123: The Maine’s self titled.

And so, to celebrate the band’s sweet sixteen, how about we look back on four of their albums, track by track, and see what makes these albums great? This is Part I of VIII of The Maine’s Sweet Sixteen Review.

The band officially announced their ninth album, The Maine, on June 8, 2023. The album would be released on August 1, 2023, due to the date being written as 8.1.23, reflecting the significance the number 8123 has to the group. It was the number of the parking garage where the band would get together as childhood friends and as a result has been used in their song’s lyrics, is the title of their own record label, and is also on the band’s own 8123 Festival. Along with this announcement, the group released two new singles: “blame” and “how to exit a room”.

This is the album we’ll be looking at today, and if I’m being honest, this is one of my favourite albums I have listened to, full stop. So, let’s dive in.

I: dose no. 2

This is the first corner of the album, and a great one at that. It’s up tempo, drums are quite strong, it’s dance-like. It’s one of many tracks which makes the album’s tracklist great. There are no songs that fit the ‘first corner’ title as this one. (For context, a ‘corner’ is the first / last track on each side of a vinyl record).

I also can’t talk about this track without detailing the great music video this track has. But don’t take my word for it, watch it yourself.

You’ll understand why I say it is dance-like.

II: how to exit a room

It’s The Maine, in a glitter suit, on a horse, in the desert, in the video.

This is one of the first tracks I heard from The Maine. No song by any musician has made me relate to how I feel as this one. Take this lyric for example:

They play my favorite song, but somehow play it wrong
I put a smile on in order to belong
So I’ll try small talk over cheap shots
Fake pays, but at what cost?

Tell me this isn’t an experience a tired musician or performer has felt. Or how about this one:

I don’t know whеre we are
And even though
I hate it here, I don’t have to
Yeah, I can show you how to exit a room

All of these lyrics are feelings I can relate to. It’s part of the reason it’s one of my favourite tracks off of this album. And it’s also one of my favourite music videos. Just watch:

Also, question: What is the dialogue at the end of some of the tracks about?

III: blame

Okay, we’re ramping up the tempo. I love this song, it’s a lot of how I feel in terms of my anger with many things. I mean, take this lyric for example:

Adderall and television, play it like a politician
You can’t stop the twitching in your eye, right?
Artificial altruism, looking for a fuss to give and
All you want is just another couple hundred likes

We all want to be liked, right? In some cases I know a lot about, some people only want to be liked, at the detriment of their connections. I know far too well how this feels, and so does The Maine:

It’s easier if I’m to blame
Yeah, it’s easier if I’m to blame
It’s easier if I’m to blame
It’s easier if I’m the one you blame for everything
For every single memory in your brain
We both got stories, but they’re not the same
So make believe, eventually you can forget my name
But it’s easier if I’m the one you blame

You can see this idea of a juxtaposition of the ease to pretend, compared to the hardship of authenticity in their 2021 song ‘Pretender’ (which we’ll look at in ‘From Anxiety In Real Time’, which is part III of this series), however we also have the main idea for this track. “It’s easier if I’m to blame”, which is a feeling that I relate to all too well. Looking further in, we can see why this may be the case in the bridge of the track:

Try to save some face, I can’t say I blame you now
(Adderall and television, play it like a politician)
Bless your selfish ways, only you can save you now
(Alcohol and ammunition)
I won’t hold it against you
Won’t hold it against you
(It’s easier to blame)
I won’t hold it against you
Won’t hold it against you
’Cause it’s easier if I’m the one you blame for everything

It ends slowing down with a shift into the next track with what sounds like a cassette player.

Along with the great lyrics, we also have a great music video to go with it:

As a track, it’s one that you can take your anger and turn it into music, therapeutic in a way.

IV: leave in five

It sounds like a dance rock track from the nineties. What more to say? But honestly, this is a great song, not just to dance to. It has some great lyrics as well, some of the most vibey lyrics on this album. Take this for example:

Maybe this is make believe
Or maybe I was lost in the lights
I lit up almost lethally
Burnin’ out a million times
So if I call your number
And I say I’ll leave in five
Wait on me, don’t wonder

My perception of these lyrics is similar, or sort of connected to ‘how to exit a room’, so they sort of fit together in a way. I don’t have a lot to say about ‘leave in five’, as most of it is about the dancey vibe, similar to a track like ‘Curious’ by Franz Ferdinand. Moving on…

V: the mood i’m in / jsyk

A general idea for the Second Corner is a slower opening to the track, then in the second act of the track, there would be the ‘wall of revelation’, a literal wall of sound (like a middle 8 in a way). This is the textbook definition. Not only does this fit this idea, but it has lyrics about the challenge of communicating the idea that “we’re over”. An example lyric would be thus:

Well I could give you words, tell you where my head’s been
Hit you where it hurts, say it with my chest and
Time it keeps on running out, keeps on
I don’t wish you the worst of all of my intentions
Just don’t think you’re worth a moment of attention
Time it keeps on running out, keeps on

This is the incitement, the ball is rolling. Another one would be a ‘just so you know, if I’m like this, it’s how I am right now’:

Just so you know
So you know
If I’ve been unapproachable
Or I seem too emotional
Life has been a rollercoaster
So it goes, I’ve been
Avoiding confrontational
Bullshit conversations, so
If I forgot to say hello
It’s just the mood I’m in

Need I say more? Then, we slowly build, reaching the wall of sound I talked about previously in the second part:

If I forgot to say hello
It’s just the mood I’m in
Just so you know
So you know
Tell me, yeah (Keep on running out, keep on)
Write it down (Keep on running out, keep on)
Just tell me now (Keep on running out, keep on)
Yeah (Keep on running out, keep on)

It’s a perfect build and end for one of the best tracks on the album. And again, we hear some dialogue:

I just need you to say like, “Okay”
Okay?

Which perfectly leads into the next track.

VI: i think about you all the time

Okay, second half. And we’re starting with a strong contender for the best track on the album. This is the Third Corner (a quick song to rebuild the pace after a slower Second Corner), and we’re into the tracks about connection. For example:

The thought of you is wrapped around my neck (and I’m chokin’)
This lonely view is blue and violent (In the worst way)
The things I’d do to see you in that dress (On my phone)
I’m drinking all alone but I’ll pretend

Loneliness, often is co-morbid with wanting connection. This in a way, doesn’t feel like that, by looking onward:

That one more vodka soda
Will get you sorta halfway off my mind

Maybe the person is stuck in someone’s mind, sticky like the song in their head (see ‘From Love In Real Time’, Part II):

On a concrete floor in the Ace Hotel
It’s a half-bad thought and I’m not so well
Well, it’s not just like you’re kind of on my mind, oh-oh (Oh-oh)
Yeah, I’m all lit up in a lonely town
Would you still pick up if I call right now?
Well, it’s not just like you’re kind of on my mind, oh-oh
Oh, I think about you all the time
(Hi, um, I was just calling to say)
I think about you all the time
(I will not be coming homе tonight, love you, bye)

We get some more rumination, and some nostalgia.

Saw your old apartment in my hеad (In the north bay)
Raw like teenage lovers in your bed (In the best way)
Gossip turned to love and morning sex (More like all day)
I woke up all alone but I’ll pretend

That one more vodka soda
Will help me get over
The truth that you’re not only sometimes on my mind

It continues on, ruminating in their head, then, they sort of accept this thought. Opening up in the bridge, acceptance of these thoughts becomes a theme:

Yeah, I like the thought of you thinking of me
Yeah
Woah, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
Yeah, I like the thought of you thinking of me
Yeah, I like the thought of you thinking of me
In Chicago rain when we walked the streets
And the skyline looked like a movie scene
You’re the only thing that’s always on my mind
I think about you all the time

It’s beautiful imagery, and a beautiful song that I love. Also, this song connects with the next one in a very important way. You’ll see…

VII: thoughts i have while lying in bed

We were talkin’ without words and turnin’ red
All tangled up in knots and I got lost
In the thoughts that I had while I’m lyin’ in this bed
And I don’t wanna leave
You look so lovely runnin’ through my head
I know I came undone, I bit my tongue
It went numb and I choked when I should’ve spoke instead

In my perspective, this follows after the events of the previous track; the thoughts they had while lying in bed, after a major event in this connection or ‘relationship’. However, they don’t believe it (sorta):

I tell myself
Believe me, you’re not in love
Been lookin’ for a reason but there isn’t one
Go easy, it’s like a drug
Oh, I’m high off your love

We return to this ‘high on love’ idea mainly in the chorus:

Starin’ at the ceiling and I’m burnin’ up
Lookin’ for a reason you ain’t good enough
Now I’m in a feelin’ and it’s like a drug
Oh, I’m high off your love
Starin’ at thе ceiling and I’m givin’ up
You’re the missing piеces I’ve been dreamin’ of
Now I’m in a feelin’ and it’s like a drug
Oh, I’m high off your love

This feels like a conversation and confession of feelings in a way. It’s a hard conversation about ‘being together’. This may also be their first true love, as there seems to be some skepticism:

I won’t trip out on the past because it’s gone
It’s just that this is new and yeah, it’s true
Only knew “I love you”s when I heard ’em in a song
I tell myself
Believe me, you’re not in love
Been lookin’ for a reason but there isn’t one

But, eventually, we reach a grand conclusion: this is truly love, and we get a nice instrumental outro afterwards. Oh, and did I mention this song has a video?

Leaning more into this idea of love and connection…

VIII: funny how?

This is a song you definitely need headphones for.

At seventeen I couldn’t dream of something like this
Oh, what a sweet trip
I was just a kid myself

This song feels like a general exaltation of love. And a tearful one at that. Look at the chorus, this has to be pure balladry:

Oh, ain’t it funny how
I never needed you ’til now?
Ain’t it funny how
You made it easier somehow?
Ain’t it funny how
How I didn’t know before you I was bleeding?
I can breathe again
All my walls have fallen down
Ain’t it funny how?
Oh, ain’t it funny how?

It has a sound similar to Måneskin’s tracks, ‘IL DONO DELLA VITA’, or ‘Le parole lontane’, off of RUSH! and Il ballo della vita respectively. We move into the second verse with a little bit of a choral sound, like glaive’s ‘all i do is try my best’:

At seventeen I couldn’t dream of something like this
Oh, what a feeling
Yeah, it’s one I’ve never felt
Evеn after I’m gone I’ll be with you
On your birthdays and your worst days
And all thе in-betweens
Believe me now

The bridge is the most heartfelt of the entire song:

How it all feels like fate
How it falls into place
Now the moments we have
Are the best that I’ve had, well
I don’t know where they all go, but
Here’s my heart, now hold it close, ‘cause
You are the one that brought me here somehow

As we reach the end of the track, its sound shifts towards a more sombre 90’s ballad, like ‘THE LONELIEST’, with the tracks final chorus, ending with a sound similar to a heartbeat. It pulls on your heartstrings every listen. And it transitions perfectly into the next track, which is…

IX: cars & caution signs

This track is very different from the others. It has a long instrumental intro, taking up around 40 seconds. Now, the easy answer is it’s about two lovers on a roadtrip, but this seems like a copout answer. I don’t have an easy way to explain what this track is about, so maybe the lyrics can help:

This song will be our escape soundtrack
Let’s drive to nowhere and fade to black
I know that I don’t have a plan
But I’ve got your hand
Just under a gram and some dots on maps
Forget the future, forget the past

Okay, maybe it’s a sort of escapism track. In a way of escaping the strong bustling city centre for the outskirts, but this ‘forget the future, forget the past’ theme continuously comes up. Though, it seems they’re still stuck on their past life, their friends and family:

I missed the exit, I went too fast
So send a postcard and I’ll relax
And sign it “Johnny you’re alive
Baby, you and I will be alright”
But we can’t look back
So ignore the future and forget the past

’Cause we’re only passing cars and caution signs
As you slowly crash your heart inside of mine
And we collide

Yeah, this is about love isn’t it? Near the end, it seems some boredom arises, and one question remains, the one repeated continuously for the outro:

Are we there yet?
Are we there, are we there yet?
Are we there yet?
Are we there, tell me are we there?
Are we there yet?
Are we there, are we there yet?
Are we there yet?
Are we there, tell me are we there?
Are we there yet?
Are we there, are we there yet?
Are we there yet?
Are we there, tell me are we there?
Are we there yet?
Are we there, are we there yet?
Are we there yet?
Are we there, tell me are we there?

It’s one of the best endings leading into the final corner:

X: spiralling

Another drink, inhale some things
Can’t sober up, I’m spiraling
Around the room when I think about you

This is the final corner (a slower first act, leading into a dancey second act), and a great one at that. We get a sort of resolution for this relationship that we’ve seen in the latter half:

I’m all fucked up on you
Try to play it cool
There’s nothing I can do now
I’m all fucked up on you
All fucked up on you
I try to play it cool
There’s nothing I can do now
I’m all fucked up on you
All the way up

We get another verse (which is the same as the first), which ramps up the vibe. And then, we get the wall of sound at the end of the second chorus, with a similar version of the verse, with a continuous repeating “when I think about you”:

Anothеr drink, inhale some things
When I think about you
Whеn I think about you
You leave the room, I’m spiraling
When I think about you
When I think about you

We slow down again, and are eventually launched into the disco heaven that is the final act of this album:

I’m all fucked up on you
Try to play it cool
There’s nothing I can do now
I’m all fucked up on you
I’m all fucked up on you
I try to play it cool (When I think about you)
There’s nothing I can do now
I’m all fucked up on you (When I think about you, when I think about you)
Another drink, inhale some things
When I think about you
When I think about you
You leave my head, I’m spiraling
When I think about you
When I think about you

We then slow down at the end with some lovely strings, and a repeat of the main ‘spiraling’ idea (with some lovely strings which remind me of You Are OK, which we’ll see in Parts IV and V):

Spiraling, I’m spiraling
Spiraling
Spiraling, I’m spiraling
Spiraling

What a perfect way, to end the most perfect album.

Final Thoughts

I love this album, and currently, no album has been able to surpass its superiority. To quote my review: “It’s hard to pick clear highlights, but how to exit a room, blame, the mood i’m in, i think about you all the time, thoughts i have while lying in bed and cars & caution signs are the ones I have on near permanent repeat. […] I'm running out of things to say about it, it's one of the best.”

Throughout 2023, we got some great Albums and EPs (Are We Having Fun? — Weathers, i care so much that i don’t care at all — glaive, the end — aldn, among others), we got some okay Albums and EPs (RUSH! — Måneskin, teeth — juno, among others), and we got some pieces of garbage some people call music, (For All The Dogs — Drake, Jackman — Jack Harlow, AUSTIN — Post Malone, what ever potential garbage Dream put out).

But, at least to me, and many others in the community we call 8123, we can feel some solace that The Maine will always bring us something significant, and great for us to listen to.

Whether you’ve been listening for 16 years, or 16 minutes, we can enjoy an album which brought us together.

For either 35 minutes, or 35 years onward.

Epilogue

Hey! This concludes Part I of The Maine’s Sweet Sixteen Special. This is a bit of an epilogue for this part, mostly focusing on one of the best tracks released before their self titled:

Loved You A Little

If I was just a lie to you
Well, you were less than that to me
Never loved you a little

We begin with Charlotte’s vocal, which is great by the way. Also, since this has three vocalists, here’s some notes:

• Charlotte’s Vocal - Bold

• John’s (The Maine) Vocal - italic

• Adam’s (Taking Back Sunday) Vocal - normal / (parenthesised)

• Charlotte & John’s Vocal - bold/italic

We get this potential theme regarding this relationship: “it’s over, I never loved you at all,” similar to another track that John had lended his vocal to: ALL CAPS - Weathers.

Bit by bit, you built this all in your head
And you knew goddamn well
(Lays like these, they lean miss more than swing)
And what made you think that what we had was love not meaningless? and (if I’m the fool, what’s that make you?)

Don’t tell me why (Don’t tell me)
You can’t sleep at night (You can’t sleep)
I know now I won’t ever do this again (I know now I)
(Won’t ever do this again)

This is harsh. The vocal provides a feeling of a lot of pent-up emotion. Like the protagonist was ruminating this for a while, or maybe they knew that their partner was in love with someone else, which is seen in the extension of the previous chorus:

If I was just a lie to you
Well, you were less than that to me
Never loved you a little
Loved you a little
Tell me who you were falling for
When we were lying on the floor
Never loved you a little

It seems that the protagonist was already over them for a while now, fitting with these previous themes:

Try not to think of me at all
When you’re lonely and exposed
(All I really know is)
Tales like these tragically end badly
Blame me, either way
I was too far gone to say
I’m tired, it’s a little too late

We then get this sort of interlacing of Charlotte and John’s vocals in the second chorus:

If I was just a lie to you
Well, you were less than that to me
Never loved you a little
Loved you a little
Tell me who you were falling for
When we were lying on the floor
Never loved you a little
Loved you a little
Never loved you a little
Loved you a little
I never loved you at all
At all (Loved you a little)

We then get this repeating theme, of “What made you think that what we had was love? And, if I was the fool then what does that make you?” It grows from a calmer voice, and then it starts nagging away at the protagonist, growing into anger:

And what made you think that what we had was love?
And, if I was the fool, then what does that make you?
What made you think that what we had was love? (Don’t tell me)
And, if I was the fool, then what does that make you? (You can’t sleep)
And what made you think that what we had was love? (Don’t tell me)
And, if I was the fool, then what does that make you? (You can’t sleep)
What made you think that what we had was love? (If I was just a lie to you)
And, if I was the fool (Well, you were less than that to me)
Then what does that make you? (Never loved you a little)

Yeah! (Loved you a little)

This anger finally explodes into the final chorus, giving a sense of the protagonist finally saying, “It’s over.”

Tell me who you were falling for
When we were lying on the floor
Never loved you a little
Loved you a little
If I was just a lie to you
Well, you were less than that to me
Never loved you a little
Loved you a little
Tell me who you were falling for
When we were lying on the floor
Never loved you a little
Loved you a little

Oh, did I mention it has a video that’s like a story?

Hey, it’s Korv.

I’m not dead, don’t worry.

I know it’s a bit more strange regarding the content here. So, to people asking:

• This was previously published on Medium back in 2023.

• The other parts are coming soon.

• I will return to put out more things. (I promise)

• More Info will be released in June. (I promise)

So, let’s dive back into the past and tell this story, shall we?

Here are some examples:

• 2021: Free Fallin’ - Tom Petty (don’t ask)

• 2022: Don’t Feel Like Feeling Sad Today - YUNGBLUD

• 2023: Celebrity (blood bunny version) - chloe moriondo

And as such, for 2024, The Closer Track of The Year is…

Are You Bored Yet - Wallows (feat. Clairo)!

Congrats to Wallows for being the 2024 Closer Track of the Year.

I don’t have much else to say except, it’s a great track, go listen to it, and finally, have a great summer!

Updates

review_bytes: KCS2

As you may have noticed, review_bytes (and KCS as a whole) has been on hiatus since March. I was very burnt out from reviewing so many albums, that I just needed some time to reset. Expect the 2024 Album edition of review_bytes sometime in August.

KAG Articles

The Maine Sweet 16 / 17 Special has just concluded, and as such, to celebrate, get ready for the next few most important upcoming specials:

• Wires Crossed: A Track By Track Analysis of E & M, releasing 09/24 & 10/24,

• The Korv Album Guide: Best of 2024 (so far) Edition, releasing 11/24, and

• The Korv Album Guide’s State of Music Address 2024, releasing 12/24.

More information should arrive over the coming weeks.

The KAG Show

I’m probably going to cancel it (for now). I haven’t been feeling great enough at any point to make an episode over the past few months.

New Channel

Get ready, as KCS is getting a new channel:

off_centre (KCS5?): A Critical Analysis / How-To Guide to Life and Philosophy, starting 2025.

Merch

I have a merch store. It’s called B83 Club, and we’ve had a few drops over the past few months, with our Lotus Collection, all new Shadows Sketch Set and B83AM Club Collection. So please, spend money and buy stuff.

B83 Club

And that’s it. More news will come soon. Have a great summer!

As many of you know, I review albums, and sometime write articles about them. Most of the albums are ones I have listened to before, but I need some more material. So, how can you request albums to me? Here’s How:

1. Shoutbox (last.fm or AOTY)

One way you can request an album is by using my shoutbox on either last.fm or Album Of The Year. I do not recommend this, because 1. I do not often check these, 2. I fear that it will just be used for spam, and 3. I’m sure not many of you would be willing to not spam. But this option is there. Don’t ruin it for everyone.

2. Email Guide Album Request Page (30 Dec-)

Another way is by writing and emailing the Request page (p.78) of the Korv Album Guide, to korvalbumguide@proton.me. I don’t recommend this either, as I don’t want to sift through emails. Again, this is an option, I don’t recommend this though.

3. Album Request Form

Also, one of the ways is by submitting this form:

Request

However, I’m not sure about this, it only allows 10 responses per month, so maybe not this?

4. Simpler Request Form

Similar to the previous, you can use this link to submit: Request

5. Comments?

Maybe another way is to leave a comment here:

Leave a comment

I don’t know though.

Future ways?

There may be some other ways later on, but this is the five ways to request an album as of now.

It feels weird that it has been two months since I put out my first article / Korv Album Guide Special: The Måneskin Anthology.

So, what’s next for my work?

Well, here’s the game plan:

Writing:

1. The Maine Sweet 16 Special

   1. Part I: Self Titled

   2. Part II: From Love In Real Time (XOXO)

   3. Part III: From Anxiety In Real Time (XOXO)

   4. Part IV: You Are OK (Act I)

   5. Part V: You Are OK (Act II)

   6. Part VI: Lovely (Mini-Album)

   7. Part VII: Little (Mini-Album)

   8. Part VIII: Lonely (Mini-Album)

2. Korv Album Guide 2023 Edition (Official Release)

Other:

1. Merch?

2. Album Release (202x)

3. Music Review Podcast

4. review_bytes 2023

   ---

And here’s the timeline:

• 31 Oct: Self Titled

• 30 Nov: Love In Real Time

• 30 Nov: Korv Album Guide 2023 Edition (Pre-Orders Open)

• 7 Dec: Anxiety In Real Time

• 11 Dec: You Are OK (Act I)

• 25 Dec: You Are OK (Act II)

• 30 Dec: 2023 Year-end Review

• 31 Dec: Korv Album Guide 2023 Edition (Official Release)

• 1 Jan: Lovely (Mini-Album)

• 15 Jan: Little (Mini-Album)

• 29 Jan: Lonely (Mini-Album)

• 202x: Debut Album ‘K1’

And that’s what I have planned for the next few months.