The Maine

About The Maine

The Maine formed in Tempe, Arizona in 2007, which makes them one of those bands that's been around long enough to have gone through several distinct eras while half their original fans were still figuring out high school. John O'Callaghan, Jared Monaco, Garrett Nickelsen, Pat Kirch, and Kennedy Brock got together and almost immediately signed to Fearless Records, catching the tail end of that mid-2000s pop punk wave when every band with a catchy hook could find an audience.

Their debut album Can't Stop Won't Stop came out in 2008 and did exactly what a debut pop punk record needed to do. It was energetic and melodic enough to get them on Warped Tour, which back then was basically required curriculum. But it was their second album, Black & White in 2010, that showed they might stick around. The title track became one of those songs that still shows up in their setlists, and you could hear them starting to push against the genre boundaries a bit.

Pioneer from 2011 marked a turning point. They'd left Fearless and went independent, which was a bigger deal then than it sounds now. The album had this more experimental edge, and while some fans weren't sure about it, it set a pattern they'd follow for years: they were going to do what interested them, whether it fit neatly into pop punk or not.

Forever Halloween in 2013 went darker and moodier. American Candy in 2015 swung back toward hooks and accessibility, giving them some of their most radio-friendly moments. But the real shift came when they started their 8123 label and committed to putting out an album every year. Lovely Little Lonely in 2017 had Everything I Ask For, which became one of their bigger tracks. You Are OK in 2019 featured Numb Without You, probably their most successful crossover moment.

The yearly album thing became their identity for a while. XOXO: From Love & Anxiety in 2021 continued that run, though they've since slowed that pace because even they admitted it was exhausting. Their most recent work includes The Maine + friends Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, where they revisited old songs with collaborators, which is either a victory lap or a way to keep things interesting depending on how you look at it.

They've built something unusual: a dedicated fanbase that shows up for whatever direction they take, whether that's emo-tinged pop punk or synth-heavy alternative rock. They're not chasing TikTok trends or trying to sound like whatever's currently breaking through. At this point, they're just a band that's been around long enough to do things their way.

The Maine's shows feel like congregations of people who actually showed up for the same reason. Crowds sing every word, but without the posturing. The band feeds off that genuine investment rather than manufacturing hype. They're tight, steady, and more interested in connection than spectacle.

Known for Black Butterflies and Déjà Vu, Everything, Sad It Goes, Whoever Left the Coffee On, Same Old Song

See The Maine Live