The Maine, an alternative rock band from Tempe, Arizona has just released their third studio album Pioneer. The band consists of John O’Callaghan on vocals, Kennedy Brock on rhythm guitar and vocals, Garrett Nickelsen on bass, Pat Kirch on drums, and Jared Monaco on lead guitar. The record was released December 6, 2011 on Action Theory Records. Their previous albums include Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop in summer 2008 and Black & White in 2010.
The first single from the new album, ‘Don’t Give Up On Us’ was released through iTunes on November 1, the saem day as the album was available for pre-order. The band is currently touring the world in support of the album with Taking Back Sunday and Bad Rabbits. The Maine also created a video documentary of the making of Pioneer on their website. Pioneer was recorded at Sonic Ranch in El Paso, Texas. The next single, ‘Some Days’ was released on November 15.
‘Identify’ is the opening song of the album, with slow guitars and relaxed vocal chorus that showcases Callaghan’s raspy singing voice. The next song is ‘My Heroine’, which experiments with more intense guitar riffs. The steady drum beat meshes well with the guitars making the song an underdog rock anthem. ‘Time’ is a little more upbeat than the song before, but it focuses more on the lyrics. The next song, ‘Some Day’s has the most unique guitar riff so far, making it a recognizable song on the album instantly and a fan favorite.
The song with a drum intro is found on ‘I’m Sorry’ a slow ballad about owning up to your actions. The song focuses on a powerful lyrics and occasional light guitars. ‘Misery’ slows down the pace of the album, with almost no guitars or bass, to showcase the lyrics and the slow, soft melody. ‘When I’m at Home’ follows the same formula and ‘Thinking of You’ introduces a piano melody which transitions the guitars steadily back into the album. The most sincere track on the album is probably ‘Jenny’, a tribute to Callaghan’s mother with the same name.
The album finishes with ‘Like We Did (Windows Down)’, ‘While Listening to Rock & Roll’ and ‘Waiting for My Sun to Shine’ which is a hidden track. On the day of its release,Pioneer was the number 2 song on the iTunes alternative rock albums list.
