American Candy Explained

American Candy
Type:studio
Artist:The Maine
Cover:AmericanCandyAlbumCover.jpg
Border:yes
Released:March 31, 2015
Recorded:November–December 2014,
Joshua Tree, California
Genre:Pop rock
Length:35:05
Label:8123
Producer:Colby Wedgeworth
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American Candy is the fifth studio album by American rock band The Maine, released on March 31, 2015, through 8123 Records. The album debuted at number 37 on the Billboard 200.[1] [2] [3] The album sold 15,000 copies in its first week.[4]

Background and composition

The Maine were teasing a new album in summer 2014, and then proceeded to announce that they would be writing new material in Heber, Arizona. Recording took place at Joshua Tree in California with Colby Wedgeworth acting as the producer. He also engineered and mixed the sessions. Recording place between November 12 and December 12. Ross Garfield was the drum technician at Drum Doctors. Tom Coyne mastered the recordings at Sterling Sound.

The album's sound has been described as alternative rock, indie rock, new wave, pop, pop rock and rock. "American Candy" was originally written for Forever Halloween. Drummer Pat Kirch explained that the song "didn't really fit" Forever Halloween, but the band revived it for American Candy "and made it fit."

Release

On January 6, 2015, the group revealed that their new album was titled American Candy, and would be released in the spring.[5] "English Girls" was made available for streaming on February 9,[6] and was released as a single on February 10.[7] The song garnered more than 92,000 streams in less than 4 days on Soundcloud.[8] On the same day, American Candy was announced for release, and the track listing and artwork was revealed.[9] "Miles Away" was made available for streaming on March 10.[10] The song debuted at number 16 on the iTunes Alternative Chart.[11] "Same Suit, Different Tie" was made available for streaming on March 30.[12] American Candy was released through 8123 Records on March 31. To help promote the release, the band released an acoustic version of "Miles Away" and did a 24-hour live stream.[13] In April and May, the group went on a headlining North American tour with support from Real Friends, Knuckle Puck and the Technicolors.[14] On June 1, a music video for "English Girls" was premiered via MTV[15] which was directed by Daniel Gomes.[16] Tyler Sharp of Alternative Press said the video features the band members "enduring an interesting night out, which is concluded with an unforeseen twist."[15]

From late August to early October, the band went on The Free For All Tour; every show of the tour was free-of-charge.[17] The shows took place at out-of-the-ordinary areas such as radio stations, parks and malls.[17] Kirch explained the band wanted the tour to be "a big party and an opportunity" for fans "who can't afford to buy a ticket to come".[17] In between the dates for the tour, the band performed intimate shows where they played American Candy in full.[17] Kirch revealed the band "felt like it was important to do and our fans wanted to hear it".[18] The band supported Mayday Parade in the UK and Europe in January and February 2016.[19] In March and April, the band went on a co-headlining US tour with Mayday Parade with support from Better Off.[20] On March 28, a music video was released for "Am I Pretty?".[21] The band went on the 2016 edition of Warped Tour.[22]

Critical reception

American Candy received mostly positive feedback from music critics. Mark Deming of AllMusic rated the album three and a half stars out of five, writing that it is "a polished contemporary pop sound that meshes with the band's strong but tuneful approach, and the lyrics are often thoughtful and frequently witty meditations on relationships, popular culture, and the world around us." Annie Zaleski of Alternative Press gave the album four out of five stars and writes: "American Candy is full of the classic-sounding pop-rock they do so well."

American Candy was nominated for Album Of The Year at the 2016 Alternative Press Music Awards.[23]

Track listing

All songs written by The Maine.

  1. "Miles Away" – 3:38
  2. "Same Suit, Different Tie" – 3:18
  3. "My Hair" – 3:15
  4. "English Girls" – 3:13
  5. "24 Floors" – 3:43
  6. "Diet Soda Society" – 3:00
  7. "Am I Pretty?" – 3:02
  8. "(Un)Lost" – 3:45
  9. "American Candy" – 3:48
  10. "Another Night on Mars" – 4:26

Personnel

Personnel per booklet.[24]

The Maine
Production

Chart performance

Chart (2015)Peak
position
UK Albums (OCC)[25] 159
UK Indie Albums (OCC)[26] 28
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[27] 27

References

Citations
Sources

External links

Notes and References

  1. Top 200 Albums | Billboard . . 2015-05-20 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150523093039/http://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/2015-04-18 . 2015-05-23 .
  2. Sharp. Tyler. The Maine to release their new new album, 'American Candy,' this spring. Alternative Press. 13 April 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150306081917/http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/the_maine_to_release_their_new_new_album_american_candy_this_spring. 6 March 2015.
  3. Web site: Krause. Katie. The Maine Find Their Happy Place in 'American Candy' While Keeping It 'Emo' on Twitter. Entertainment Tonight. 13 April 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150412220721/http://www.etonline.com/music/162580_the_maine_find_their_happy_place_american_candy_while_keeping_it_emo_on_twitter/. 12 April 2015.
  4. Web site: Sticking the Landing from Neon to Normal. propertyofzack.com. April 10, 2015. January 25, 2021.
  5. Web site: The Maine to release their new new album, 'American Candy,' this spring. Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. Sharp, Tyler. January 6, 2015. December 31, 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160423164456/http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/the_maine_to_release_their_new_new_album_american_candy_this_spring. April 23, 2016.
  6. Web site: The Maine release new single, "English Girls". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. Sharp, Tyler. February 9, 2015. December 31, 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150315153949/http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/the_maine_release_new_single_english_girls. March 15, 2015.
  7. Web site: English Girls – The Maine Release Info. AllMusic. October 19, 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20151222174638/http://www.allmusic.com/album/release/english-girls-mr0004381716. December 22, 2015.
  8. Web site: The Maine Announces New LP 'American Candy' Due 3/31; Headlining Tour to Follow. broadwayworld.com. Sally Henry Fuller. February 14, 2015. May 30, 2022.
  9. Web site: The Maine's New Song 'English Girls' Is The Pop-Rock Gem Your Tuesday Needs. Rock Sound. Biddulph, Andy. February 10, 2015. December 15, 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20151222145252/http://www.rocksound.tv/news/read/the-maines-new-song-english-girls-is-the-pop-rock-gem-your-tuesday-needs. December 22, 2015.
  10. Web site: Hear the Maine's new single, "Miles Away". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. Crane, Matt. March 10, 2015. December 31, 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150312171335/http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/hear_the_maines_new_single_miles_away. March 12, 2015.
  11. Web site: The Maine frontman offers one universal truth. Dustin Schoof. March 10, 2016. August 15, 2022.
  12. Web site: The Maine stream new song, "Same Suit, Different Tie". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. Crane, Matt. March 30, 2015. December 31, 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150402041838/http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/the_maine_stream_new_song_same_suit_different_tie. April 2, 2015.
  13. Web site: Grab A FREE Acoustic Track From The Maine With Rock Sound. Rock Sound. Biddulph, Andy. March 31, 2015. December 15, 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20151222111035/http://www.rocksound.tv/features/read/grab-a-free-acoustic-track-from-the-maine-with-rock-sound. December 22, 2015.
  14. Web site: Real Friends, Knuckle Puck to open the Maine's spring tour. Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. Sharp, Tyler. January 6, 2015. December 31, 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170315015329/http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/the_maine_real_friends_knuckle_puck_announce_tour. March 15, 2017.
  15. Web site: The Maine have an interesting night out in new "English Girls" music video. Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. Sharp, Tyler. June 1, 2015. December 31, 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20171231201351/https://www.altpress.com/news/entry/the_maine_have_an_interesting_night_out_in_new_english_girls_music_video. December 31, 2017.
  16. The Maine – English Girls. June 1, 2015. YouTube. TheMaineOfficialVEVO. December 15, 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20151126153337/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtXF1_CY6_c. November 26, 2015.
  17. Web site: The Maine announces that the concerts in their fall tour will be free. Suntimes. Miller, Kaitlin. July 15, 2015. December 15, 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20151222093543/http://national.suntimes.com/national-entertainment/7/72/1473543/band-the-maine-announces-free-tour. December 22, 2015. mdy-all.
  18. Web site: The Maine – 9/30/15 – Interview. AbsolutePunk.net. Acosta, Anna . September 30, 2015. December 15, 2015.
  19. Web site: Mayday Parade Announce Black Lines 2016 Headline Tour. Kerrang!. Emily. August 11, 2015. December 15, 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20151221194225/http://www.kerrang.com/34592/mayday-parade-announce-black-lines-2016-headline-tour/. December 21, 2015.
  20. Web site: Mayday Parade, the Maine announce co-headlining tour. Alternative Press. Sharp, Tyler. December 16, 2015. December 17, 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20151218023641/http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/mayday_parade_the_maine_announce_co_headlining_tour. December 18, 2015.
  21. Web site: The Maine say we're all pretty in new music video—watch. Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. Ralph, Caitlyn. March 28, 2016. December 31, 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20161203033537/http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/the_maine_say_were_all_pretty_in_new_music_videowatch. December 3, 2016.
  22. Web site: First 10 bands announced for Warped Tour 2016. Alternative Press. Sharp, Tyler. March 22, 2016. March 22, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160325005440/http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/first_10_bands_announced_for_warped_tour_2016. March 25, 2016.
  23. Web site: Here are the nominees for the 2016 AP Music Awards!. Alternative Press. Whitt, Cassie. March 18, 2016. May 1, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160423063602/http://www.altpress.com/aptv/video/and_the_nominees_for_the_2016_apmas_are. April 23, 2016.
  24. American Candy. . 2015. Booklet. 8123. 8123-012.
  25. Web site: Chart Log UK: New Entries Update. March 6, 2022.
  26. Web site: Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50. Official Charts Company. March 6, 2022.
  27. The Maine – Chart history (Top Album Sales). Billboard. March 14, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160724071558/http://www.billboard.com/artist/418575/maine/chart?f=2160. July 24, 2016.

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