American Candy

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]

American Candy
Studio album by
The Maine
ReleasedMarch 31, 2015
RecordedNovember–December 2014,
Joshua Tree, California
GenrePop rock
Length35:05
Label8123
ProducerColby Wedgeworth
The Maine chronology
Imaginary Numbers
(2013)		 American Candy
(2015)		 Lovely Little Lonely
(2017)
Singles from American Candy
  1. "English Girls"
    Released: February 10, 2015
  2. "Miles Away"
    Released: March 10, 2015

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.[5] Recording took place at Joshua Tree in California with Colby Wedgeworth acting as the producer.[6] He also engineered and mixed the sessions.[6] Recording place between November 12 and December 12.[6] Ross Garfield was the drum technician at Drum Doctors.[6] Tom Coyne mastered the recordings at Sterling Sound.[6]

The album's sound has been described as alternative rock,[7] indie rock,[5] new wave,[8] pop,[9] pop rock[7][10][11] and rock.[12] "American Candy" was originally written for Forever Halloween.[13] 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."[13]

Release

On January 6, 2015, the group revealed that their new album was titled American Candy, and would be released in the spring.[14] "English Girls" was made available for streaming on February 9,[15] and was released as a single on February 10.[16] The song garnered more than 92,000 streams in less than 4 days on Soundcloud.[17] On the same day, American Candy was announced for release, and the track listing and artwork was revealed.[18] "Miles Away" was made available for streaming on March 10.[19] The song debuted at number 16 on the iTunes Alternative Chart.[20] "Same Suit, Different Tie" was made available for streaming on March 30.[21] 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.[22] In April and May, the group went on a headlining North American tour with support from Real Friends, Knuckle Puck and the Technicolors.[23] On June 1, a music video for "English Girls" was premiered via MTV[24] which was directed by Daniel Gomes.[25] Tyler Sharp of Alternative Press said the video features the band members "enduring an interesting night out, which is concluded with an unforeseen twist."[24]

From late August to early October, the band went on The Free For All Tour; every show of the tour was free-of-charge.[26] The shows took place at out-of-the-ordinary areas such as radio stations, parks and malls.[26] 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".[26] In between the dates for the tour, the band performed intimate shows where they played American Candy in full.[26] Kirch revealed the band "felt like it was important to do and our fans wanted to hear it".[13] The band supported Mayday Parade in the UK and Europe in January and February 2016.[27] In March and April, the band went on a co-headlining US tour with Mayday Parade with support from Better Off.[28] On March 28, a music video was released for "Am I Pretty?".[29] The band went on the 2016 edition of Warped Tour.[30]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AbsolutePunk7/10[31]
AllMusic[9]
Alternative Addiction[8]
Alternative Press[7]
AXSFavorable[12]
Idobi10/10[10]
The PeakFavorable[32]
Rock Sound5/10[11]
The State PressFavorable[5]
UWM PostFavorable[33]

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."[9] 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."[7]

American Candy was nominated for Album Of The Year at the 2016 Alternative Press Music Awards.[34]

Track listing

All songs written by The Maine.[6]

  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.[6]

Chart performance
Chart (2015) Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[35] 92
UK Albums (OCC)[36] 159
UK Indie Albums (OCC)[37] 28
US Billboard 200[38] 37
US Digital Albums (Billboard)[39] 25
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[40] 3
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[41] 7
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[42] 27
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[43] 9

Release history
Region Date Format(s) Label
United States March 31, 2015
8123

References
Citations
  1. "Top 200 Albums | Billboard". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2015-05-23. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
  2. Sharp, Tyler. "The Maine to release their new new album, 'American Candy,' this spring". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on 6 March 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  3. Krause, Katie. "The Maine Find Their Happy Place in 'American Candy' While Keeping It 'Emo' on Twitter". Entertainment Tonight. Archived from the original on 12 April 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  4. "Sticking the Landing from Neon to Normal". propertyofzack.com. April 10, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  5. Zentner, Emily (March 31, 2015). "The Maine's "American Candy" is an indie rock masterpiece". The State Press. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  6. American Candy (Booklet). The Maine. 8123. 2015. 8123-012.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. Zaleski, Annie (March 31, 2015). "American Candy - The Maine - Review". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on April 1, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  8. "Album Review of American Candy by The Maine". Alternative Addiction. Archived from the original on July 12, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  9. Deming, Mark. "American Candy - The Maine - Review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on April 8, 2015. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
  10. Stokes, Alyson (March 30, 2015). "Album Review: The Maine – American Candy". Idobi. Archived from the original on May 6, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  11. Biddulph 2015, p. 86
  12. Warner, Jordan (April 5, 2015). "The Maine 'American Candy' Review". AXS. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  13. Acosta, Anna (September 30, 2015). "The Maine - 9/30/15 - Interview". AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  14. Sharp, Tyler (January 6, 2015). "The Maine to release their new new album, 'American Candy,' this spring". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. Archived from the original on April 23, 2016. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  15. Sharp, Tyler (February 9, 2015). "The Maine release new single, "English Girls"". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. Archived from the original on March 15, 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  16. "English Girls - The Maine | Release Info". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  17. Sally Henry Fuller (February 14, 2015). "The Maine Announces New LP 'American Candy' Due 3/31; Headlining Tour to Follow". broadwayworld.com. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  18. Biddulph, Andy (February 10, 2015). "The Maine's New Song 'English Girls' Is The Pop-Rock Gem Your Tuesday Needs". Rock Sound. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  19. Crane, Matt (March 10, 2015). "Hear the Maine's new single, "Miles Away"". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. Archived from the original on March 12, 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  20. Dustin Schoof (March 10, 2016). "The Maine frontman offers one universal truth". Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  21. Crane, Matt (March 30, 2015). "The Maine stream new song, "Same Suit, Different Tie"". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  22. Biddulph, Andy (March 31, 2015). "Grab A FREE Acoustic Track From The Maine With Rock Sound". Rock Sound. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  23. Sharp, Tyler (January 6, 2015). "Real Friends, Knuckle Puck to open the Maine's spring tour". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. Archived from the original on March 15, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  24. Sharp, Tyler (June 1, 2015). "The Maine have an interesting night out in new "English Girls" music video". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. Archived from the original on December 31, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  25. TheMaineOfficialVEVO (June 1, 2015). The Maine - English Girls. YouTube. Archived from the original on November 26, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  26. Miller, Kaitlin (July 15, 2015). "The Maine announces that the concerts in their fall tour will be free". Suntimes. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  27. Emily (August 11, 2015). "Mayday Parade Announce Black Lines 2016 Headline Tour". Kerrang!. Archived from the original on December 21, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  28. Sharp, Tyler (December 16, 2015). "Mayday Parade, the Maine announce co-headlining tour". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on December 18, 2015. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  29. Ralph, Caitlyn (March 28, 2016). "The Maine say we're all pretty in new music video—watch". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. Archived from the original on December 3, 2016. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  30. Sharp, Tyler (March 22, 2016). "First 10 bands announced for Warped Tour 2016". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on March 25, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  31. Sorendino, Anthony. "The Maine - American Candy - Album Review". AbsolutePunk. Archived from the original on August 12, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  32. Miller, Courtney (November 2, 2015). "Album reviews: Jon and Roy, The Maine, and Halsey". The Peak. Archived from the original on March 25, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  33. Bayerl, Bo (April 20, 2015). "Album Review: The Maine's "American Candy"". UWM Post. Archived from the original on March 24, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  34. Whitt, Cassie (March 18, 2016). "Here are the nominees for the 2016 AP Music Awards!". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on April 23, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  35. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  36. "Chart Log UK: New Entries Update". Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  37. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  38. "The Maine Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  39. "The Maine Chart History (Digital Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  40. "The Maine Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  41. "The Maine Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  42. "The Maine - Chart history (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 24, 2016. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
  43. "The Maine Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
Sources
  • Biddulph, Andy (May 2015). Bird, Ryan (ed.). "Reviews". Rock Sound. London: Freeway Press Inc. (199). ISSN 1465-0185.
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