Could The Maine be one of the most important bands to come out of the scene?

Since their debut album Can’t Stop Won’t Stop, The Maine have gained a significant following and have had a major impact on the scene. The pop-punk music scene has never been shy about talking about mental health, which was practically unheard of for a long time across other music genres; and The Maine have been very consistent in doing just that. However, they don’t stop at saying “you’re not alone” or “you’ll be okay.” They ask deeper questions through their lyrics that we should be asking ourselves daily.

Their latest album You Are OK has vastly different songs, covering many different ideas, but all center around the one message: you are okay.

“It made sense to the sort of place I was in my life. I’ve been experiencing more anxiety lately than I had when I was in my early twenties, and it’s become a sort of mantra and something that I felt like I wanted to share. I don’t think enough people hear that and I wanted to put an emphasis on mental health in the era that we’re living in; it’s important for people to spread positivity, there’s so much noise and negative space being filled up, I just felt like it was important.” – John O’Callaghan

Now, let’s dive a little bit deeper into some of their lyrics that prove The Maine is one of the most important bands to come out of the scene so far.

“Everything is temporary, even the sorrow that you carry.” -“Flowers on the Grave” You Are OK:

Dark times come for all of us. They may not look the same as everybody else’s and we can feel like the storm will never pass. But, in this lyric, The Maine reminds us that it will.

“You don’t plan life, you live it. You don’t take love, you give it. You can’t change what is written. So, when fate cries you listen.” -”Flowers on the Grave” You Are OK:

This is a beautiful motto to live by if I do say so myself.

“If you’re not you, you’re everyone else… Who are you?” -“My Best Habit” You Are OK:

Are you hiding behind a character, portraying a part with the people around you? Or are you being your true, authentic, self? You were made different for a reason. Embrace it. Don’t run from it.

“Control what you can confront what you can’t; and always remember how lucky you are to have yourself.” -”(Un)lost” American Candy:

There can be days when the company of our minds can feel like a jail sentence rather than a blessing. We spend every available minute we have trying to flood our minds with useless noise just so we can escape our own company. But when we turn off the rest of the world, take off the mask, and allow ourselves to truly accept who we are, you’ll find that you don’t have to perform anymore. The only person who will ever truly know you is yourself.

“How do you feel? What’s your condition?” -”How Do You Feel?” Lovely Little Lonely:

This is a reminder to check in with yourself and your mental health periodically throughout the day. How are you feeling at this exact moment? What’s making you feel this way?

“You are alive, but are you living?” -”How Do You Feel?” Lovely Little Lonely:

This is another question to ask yourself. Are you just existing or are you actually living? 

“Whatever it is, whatever it isn’t, make sure that it’s real.” -”How Do You Feel?” Lovely Little Lonely:

Living with mental illness can be exhausting. It’s a constant battle with your mind to reclaim your thoughts. But while fighting that daily battle, a good question to ask yourself is, is that thought that’s making you feel the way you do real or just your anxiety, depression, etc. lying to you?

(Okay, basically just go listen to “How Do You Feel?” for questions to ask yourself to check in on your mental health).

The Maine has never been afraid to ask the deep questions we should all be asking ourselves. Not only that, they’ve never been shy about openly sharing their own struggles with mental health which inspired the entire You Are OK era as the quote from John O’Callaghan above explains.

Mental health is a daily fight for a lot of us, but don’t give up on the fight. No matter what you’re going through, it’s temporary. I know it can feel like it’s going to last forever but it won’t.

The Suicide Hotline now has a 3 digit number. Call 988 or 1-800-273-8255 if you, or someone you know, needs help.

Looking for THE scene podcast? Look no further. Unplugged w/ Tyler Winters & John Pearman is exactly what you need. Available wherever you listen to podcasts.

Follow or Subscribe below!

or another podcast platform.