Length 35:22 Artist The Maine Producer Howard Benson Genres Pop punk, Pop rock | Black & White
(2010) Pioneer
(2011) Release date 12 July 2010 Label Fearless Records | |
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Released July 12, 2010 (2010-07-12) Similar The Maine albums, Pop punk albums | ||
Black & White is the second album by The Maine and was released on July 12, 2010. The album features singles "Inside of You" and "Growing Up". It debuted at No. 16 on the Billboard 200 with 22,634 copies sold in its first week.
Contents
Development and release
Recorded in California with Grammy-nominated producer Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, The All-American Rejects) "Black & White" sees The Maine stepping out of their comfort zone and creating a cohesive body of work that is an "album", in the most traditional sense of the word.
"This time we really wanted to focus on the songwriting and make sure all the songs were great so no matter where on the disc you are you can tell it's an album instead of a bunch of songs that are thrown together", drummer Pat Kirch explains. Acoustic versions of the songs "Inside of You" and "Right Girl" can be found on YouTube as well as the deluxe version of the record.
On the release date of the album, July 12, the band and their crew embarked on an entire 24-hour event which had been streamed live via their MySpace page, Ustream, and website. Everyone who viewed the event online had chances to win some prizes, see acoustic sets, and also receive calls from the band through their "Say Now" account.
Critical reception
"On their first major-label release (after an EP and album for Fearless), the Maine take a step away from the emo-pop sound they began with. Instead of fast tempos, sunny songs about girls, and auto-tuned vocals, "Black & White" has a more mature and measured approach. The tempos are nearly all mid, the mood is often melancholy or nostalgic, and the overall feel is much more grown up. The presence of Hammond organ is a trademark signifier of a serious and adult band and it appears in a handful of songs here, layered in among the acoustic guitars. There’s no trace of punk left in their approach, in other words. In fact, if the vocals had more of a twang, the record could pass for a modern country release. ... There are definitely quite a few songs that would sound good on the radio, like the hooky "Fuel to the Fire" and the cute "Right Girl."
"Black & White" also won Alternative Press "Album of the Year" in 2010.
Singles
"Inside of You" was released on the band's website as a promotional single and later announced as the first official single off the album, shortly after it had been uploaded as a lyrics video on their official YouTube page. A music video for the song, directed by Cage Free and written by Ian Michael Kintzle, was released on July 19, 2010.
"Growing Up" was released shortly after "Inside of You" on May 18, 2010 as the second promotional single for the album. Like Inside of You, a lyrics video was uploaded where fans could see. The song was then later serviced to radio stations as the album's third single in February 2011. No video was made.
"Right Girl" - The second official single off the album, and was sent to radio on September 29, 2010. A music video for the song was released on November 23, 2010.
"Listen To Your Heart" was released as the album's fourth single, and was serviced to U.S. radio stations in June 2011. A video for the song, featuring footage from the band's tour, was released on their YouTube page on July 5, 2011.
Track listing
All lyrics written by John O'Callaghan; all music composed by The Maine.
Personnel
Songs
1Don't Stop Now3:36
2Right Girl3:37
3Growing Up4:00