The Maine has done it again. After their previous full length, Pioneer, a lot of fans were questioning what direction their sound was going in. Pioneer changed The Maine's game (Accidental rhyme woo!), completely transforming their sound. With the release of Forever Halloween, everyone was anxiously waiting to hear what tricks The Maine had slipped under their sleeves. And I have to say, what awesome tricks they were.
Forever Halloween is one of the rawest and honest compilations of music I have ever listened to, and trust me, I have listened to quite a few songs. Not only have their songwriting skills as a band improved tenfold, the whole album was recorded live- no autotune, no 10 different guitar parts recorded, no weird synthesizers. It is just The Maine and their message. The blatant, simple feeling that evokes in itself is incredible. It's symbolic of how they want their fans to hear exactly what they truly are about: music.
Some songs like Love & Drugs, White Walls, and Happy, are classic The Maine tunes, except much more simple. The aspect of the recording process really sets the tone for this album, and I am in love with it.
The song that is the most memorable on this album is These Four Words. The song is basically about not loving someone. The intent of the song is very different and beautiful in a sad way. A raw piano melody and John's voice convey the meaning even more so. The haunting sensation it sends down to the bottom of your stomach when you hear the lines "I don't love you" is unavoidable; the amount of unrefined and pure emotion that is embedded into this song alone is crazy. Overall, it's beautiful in it's sadness.
Forever Halloween, the entitled song off of the album, conveys the overarching message of the album. It takes the actual event of Halloween and symbolically compares it to the real world of being someone you are not. I think by recording this album live without any modern touch ups, that's what The Maine is trying to break free from: being someone they are not. Having other people's hands decide who and what they can be or release.
In short, this album is a great representation of how "rock and roll" is not someone sitting behind a computer and digitally creating "music." It's about passion and being who you are, even if it's not the best or the most popular.
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