On November 10th, The Maybe Man celebrated its first anniversary, prompting us to review the album. The Maybe Man explores the uncertainties and anxieties associated with growing up, coping with grief, and pursuing self-discovery. One of our favorite aspects of this album is its thematic cohesion. It serves as a conceptual journey that portrays the shift from youthful optimism to the more sobering realities of adulthood. By the end of the album, everything comes full circle, making it a truly remarkable work. Musically, the band continues to showcase their unique indie-pop style, blending orchestral and electronic elements seamlessly. It can be a really fun listen if you don’t pay too much attention to the lyrics but can also be a very deep and emotional experience if you do. Most of these songs have melancholy lyrics but beats that are hopeful and almost happy-ish. Overall, this album is super good, raw, and unique so we’d give it an 8.5/10.
Our Top 5
Below are our top 5 tracks that really stand out to us.
- Maybe Man
The first song on the album, “Maybe Man” is about one of the band members, Jack, and his struggle to find his identity or his wishing he was someone else. Throughout the song, he says he wishes he was someone/something else that ties with a positive quality, but then turns it around and mentions something negative about it. Throughout the song, he shows themes of self-discovery and indecisiveness that continue with the rest of the album. This song doesn’t have a chorus but instead has many short verses. A cool thing that the band actually mentioned was that each verse relates to a song on the album. This song is almost like a Table of Contexts for the rest of the album.
Musically, the track builds from a minimalist opening to a climactic conclusion, incorporating orchestral swells, layered harmonies, and dramatic percussion. This crescendo mirrors the emotional intensity of confronting one’s fears and the inevitability of making choices, even in the face of uncertainty. Eventually, after the track builds up enough, the song goes into pandemonium both literally and figuratively, introducing the rest of the album.
Our favorite parts of this song are how raw its lyrics are and how relatable they are. It’s also the perfect opener for this album because it introduces the cohesive themes that are present throughout it and Jack as a protagonist and as “The Maybe Man”.
- The DJ is Crying for Help
The song “The DJ is Crying for Help” explores the theme of growing up. The narrator observes their peers transitioning into responsible adults, while they still feel the same as they did 15 or more years ago during their teenage years. The overall tone of the song is quiet and somber, reflecting the struggles faced by the protagonist. The production truly stands out, particularly with the use of violins, a rhythmic beat, and the small details like a train whistle in the background. It’s a great track to listen to while taking a night drive.
- Yes, I’m a Mess
The song “Yes, I’m a Mess” is about accepting your imperfections and not letting them hold you back in life. It is about a protagonist who understands that he could hate his imperfections but instead chooses to like himself just the way he is. The lyrics intertwine humor and self-awareness while also staying grounded to what the song’s about. The melody stays relatively upbeat for the entirety of the song, going along with the theme of holding a positive attitude about yourself, despite having flaws. AJR has described the song as almost their take on a Western song as the main melody, in the form of a whistle, seems to sound like something out of a Western film. The sound of this song is very unique and we love the energy making it number 3 on the list.
- Inertia
The song “Inertia” is about the feeling of being stuck or immobilized, with the concept of inertia representing the struggle of not being able to break free from one’s own thoughts, habits, or emotional states. One of the strengths of the song lies in its lyrical storytelling as AJR goes through many examples of situations where he is feeling stuck. These are approached with irony and humor but also rawness. As for musically, this song has the same style as the rest of these songs when it comes to including both orchestral and electronic elements. The production is sleek, with moments of minimalism that allow the lyrics to breathe, balanced with bursts of energy that give the track an uplifting and almost cinematic quality. This song is incredibly relatable and a bop, placing it at number 2 on this list.
- 2085
The song “2085” takes listeners to the future where AJR would all be elders and reflecting on their lives. The beginning of this song dives into a reflection of their lives, the decisions they made, and the life lessons they learned. There are lyrics in there that reference loss and enjoying the people around you while they are still there and lyrics about insecurities and how you shouldn’t worry about how you are perceived and just be you. But, most important is the ending of this song, where Jack realizes that life is too short to search for who he is and decides to live all that’s left, as a euphoric climax brings the album full circle. Musically, the beginning of this song sounds kind of acoustic like you are sitting at a campfire but eventually goes back to the melodies from the first song of the album, “Maybe Man”. What we love about this song is how it sounds so good and hopeful but can also make you weep. It’s so emotionally raw and beautiful making it number one on our list.