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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: We Got The ‘Sticky’ On The Maine And Their New Music!

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: We Got The ‘Sticky’ On The Maine And Their New Music!

It’s hard to believe it’s been almost two decades since The Maine started releasing music, but here we are 14 years later, and they are still killing it! Continuously giving us the gift of song and unbelievable visuals, it’s the greatest gift we’ve ever been given if we’re being honest, and we are proud to be longtime stans!

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If you’re new here, we recommend going back to the start (see what we did there? 😏) and listening to the discography from the beginning, but if you want to start here, we don’t blame you! Take a listen to their newest single, ‘Sticky,’ and tell us those masterful vocals aren’t inviting and don’t make you want to dance around your house with a hairbrush, while you put on a full concert performance. Go ahead! We can wait! Oh, and let’s not forget those punchy, hypnotic beats that make our souls perk up with excitement as soon as the music starts.

Check out the song below or stream it here! But, we’ve got to be honest, we’re a little salty we didn’t get invited to take part in such a fun, sticky-themed music video! They had honey poured on their heads- HONEY! We ARE The Honey Pop, after all, it would’ve been the perfect team-up! Maybe shoot us an invite next time, yeah? 🥺🤞🏻

We may have missed out on all the fun with the video, but we did get the pleasure of interviewing The Maine, and we asked them some of our most burning questions (other than the ongoing debate of “is a hotdog a sandwich?”) about their new single, upcoming album, and their well-deserved success. We enjoyed their answers and getting a little insight into the band’s mind, and we know you will, too! So, what are you waiting for? Read on!

Your song ‘Sticky’ is about a person you just can’t get out of your head, but can you tell us what songs have been stuck in your head lately? 
Jared – This week I went on a huge emo throwback binge. I’ve been listening to a ton of Acceptance, Days Away, Saves the Day, nothing super stuck in my head, just feel like I need to change my AIM away message.

What sparked the idea for ‘Sticky,’ and how did the track come together? 
John – I had a flight leaving LA in the evening and a session with a friend that ended up falling through, so I was planning on trying to catch an early flight back home. I ended up staying and working with a buddy, Andrew Goldstein instead and I’m certainly glad I did. I have pages and pages of song titles and for whatever reason when we sat down to write that day it stood out. This tune might be the least over thought song I’ve penned to date, and no matter how many times I hear it, it still makes me boogie. 

And the ‘Sticky’ video looked like a lot of fun, which of the “sticky situations” did you find the hardest to get out of? What part from the ‘Sticky’ music video was the hardest to film? And the funniest?
Jared – That whole video shoot was such a fun day. I got spun around in a chair for multiple takes, so I got pretty dizzy. I think we were all dreading the final shot however, which involved each of us having honey poured all over our heads. I’ve been growing my hair out for the past two years, so I was pretty nervous about getting it out. Angela, our director, offered to drive us to her house which was nearby to wash it out, but I live on the west side, about 30 minutes from where we shot the video. I wrapped my hair in a towel and decided to make the drive home. Big mistake. Honey was dripping into my eyes, and the towel was basically glued to my hair. Once I peeled it off, the honey came out in about a minute with some apple cider vinegar in the shower. I was really worried for a minute there.

The Maine
Image Source: @lupeintransit/The Maine via Twitter

We love the idea of the app where fans can request to have you sing ‘Sticky’ outside their homes, it’s such a unique way to bring live music to fans that have been missing it so deeply, where did the idea stem from?
Jared – I think we’ve all gotten pretty used to ordering delivery food over the past year. We thought about how fun it would be to give people a chance to order a live performance in the same kind of way. Looking forward to seeing people react when they realize it’s for real, and we’re in their front yard making noise.

XOXO: From Love And Anxiety In Real Time is going to be your eighth studio album, what’s one thing you’ve learned over the years that’s guided you through your career, and what’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever gotten?
Jared – The most important thing for us is staying true to who we are. It hasn’t always made things easy, but at the end of the day at least we know we can stand behind the things we’ve created. It’s also led us down some really interesting roads, and I think helped us find a unique voice. Some of my favorite advice I’ve ever received was from one fateful encounter we had with Dave Grohl. He told us to enjoy this shit while we’re young because one day it’s gonna hurt. I took that to heart. I think we all did. We refuse to slow down. There’s still plenty of gas left in the tank.

Which song from the new album do each of you relate to the most? And which one do you believe is likely to become a fan favorite?
Jared – My favorite track is ‘Dirty Pretty Beautiful,’ and I think fans will love that one too. As far as relating to a song, it’s ‘Anxiety in Real Time.’ For me, that one just hits a mood that feels all too familiar to me.

Success means different things to every individual, and the concept changes over time as we grow. How do you define success, and how do you measure up to your own definition?
Jared – Success for us has always been about creating authentic music first and foremost. For all of us, this band has been a project that’s lasted for almost half our lives. To see us go from shitty dive bar after shitty dive bar, to cancelled shows because tickets weren’t sold, to where we are now really makes my head spin. We’ve done so much these last 14 years, and we still have so much to give. But it’s been wonderful to see the 8123 community grow. They support us, but they also support each other. We’re very proud of that.

Why was it important for you to become an independent band, and how has that invigorated the music or events you’ve put out since?
Jared – We were close to calling it quits. We were on a major record label and they just weren’t making the right moves. It was so hard to steer the ship. We needed to have control. Once we got the keys back, all kinds of creative ideas started flowing, and it really opened the door for us to go out and try different things. Pioneer was such an experimental time for our band. Fans got to witness us go through this soul searching period. It’s all because we had the freedom to do so, with a fan base who had our backs. Every single thing we’ve done since then has been a result of that freedom.

The Maine
Image Source: Dirk Mai/ The Maine via Twitter

‘These Four Words’ has been dubbed by John as the ‘most revealing song he’s ever written’ does that still ring true, or is something on the new album going to knock that track out of its place? 
John – I think ‘These Four Words’ is me at my most telling, but the closer on XOXO might be me at my most vulnerable. My grandmother passed away towards the beginning of Covid, and we had to send her off in such a thrown together fashion in a church with only 8 or so of us there. It was intimate and beautiful, but fucked up and tragic at the same time. ‘Face Towards The Sun’ is about the idea of leaving this world and heading to some place new. It gets me pretty emotional every time I hear it. 

14 years you guys have been a band, that is really impressive, what are some of your favorite moments over the years?
Jared – SO many amazing things along the way. My favorite moment was the first 8123 fest we had in our home town of Phoenix. For years and years, we traveled the world playing shows, but finally had the chance to reverse it. The show was at home, and everybody traveled to see us play. Not only that, we got to do it again two years later, even bigger than the first time. We can’t wait to do it again.

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With being in the industry for a long time and watching the industry transform drastically in the past decade- whether it’s production, streaming, sales, or social media, etc. What do you think of this change, how has it impacted any of your processes or creative direction when working on new projects?
Jared – If you really pay attention. And I mean really keep your eye on things, you can edge out ahead of it all. We’re no strangers to the curveball. I think the reason we’re still here today is because we’re so eager to learn, and to adapt, and to improve how we do things. Sure, things look a lot different today than they did several years ago. But if you really strip it back to basics, in the beginning for us, we were just a bunch of kids using Myspace to reach people. That hasn’t changed that much. We’re just using other platforms now. A lot of people in the industry love to complain. The way we see it, if change is coming, there’s not much you can do to stop it. Why waste time being angry about change when you could have a head start at adapting to it? John’s been making TikToks lately. Who cares? It’s fun. We’re always down to mess around with stuff and see what happens.

When going all the way back to The Way We Talk what do you guys see as the biggest difference in your sound from that EP to now?
Jared – Well for starters, we didn’t know what we were doing back then. Like, at all. If you listen to Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop, there are SO many different things happening at the same time. I was playing pedal steel, an accordion, there’s a freaking TUBA on one of the songs. We still don’t really know what we’re doing, but we do know what hasn’t worked so far. The big takeaway here is experience. Before those first few albums, we didn’t have that knowledge. It was an innocent try. We’ve been at it for so long now, we just know what needs to be done. Or at least we have a feeling that seeps into what we’re making. And with anything, the practice eventually leads to improvement. We’ll never be satisfied with where we’re at. We will always chase that next level. But we would be silly to not take a second to appreciate how far we’ve come.

We just love these guys so much, and we hope you do, too! Don’t forget to pre-order The Maine’s album, XOXO: From Love And Anxiety In Real Time (or XOXO for short), here! We look forward to hearing the full album in July! We want to hear from you! Are you excited about the new album? What did you think of the interview? Which question and answer was your favorite? Let us know in the comments below or by tweeting us @TheHoneyPOP! You can also hit us up on Facebook and Instagram!

Check out these other interviews for more of the drip!

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE MAINE:
 FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | WEBSITE | YOUTUBE

Featured Image Source: Dirk Mai/ The Maine via Twitter

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