Forever Halloween

Forever Halloween is the fourth full-length album by American rock band The Maine, released on June 4, 2013 through the band's own label, 8123 Records. The album received generally positive reviews from critics. The album spawned two singles: "Happy" and "Ugly on the Inside".

Forever Halloween
Studio album by
The Maine
ReleasedJune 4, 2013
RecordedFebruary and March 2013
GenreAlternative rock[1]
Length45:12
Label8123
ProducerBrendan Benson
The Maine chronology
Pioneer
(2011)		 Forever Halloween
(2013)		 Imaginary Numbers
(2013)
Alternative cover
Forever Halloween (Deluxe Version) cover
Singles from Forever Halloween
  1. "Happy"
    Released: April 16, 2013
  2. "Ugly on the Inside"
    Released: May 21, 2014

Background and recording

In October and November 2012, the group went on a co-headlining US tour with Mayday Parade.[2][3] Following the tour's conclusion, the group began working on their next album.[2]

The album, produced by Brendan Benson of The Raconteurs, is the band's second consecutive self-funded release following their departure from Warner Bros. Records. "To be seen and treated as an equal by someone you hold in high regard is a gratifying and refreshing feeling," says frontman John O'Callaghan on working with Benson. "[He] opened his studio doors, did that and much more which helped provide the platform to create an album we can now all stand behind."[4] The group posted a studio update video on February 13.[5] Throughout the month and March, the group constantly posted studio update videos.[6] On March 9, the group announced they had finished recording.[7] On April 4, it was announced that the album was mixed and mastered.[8]

Release

On April 12, Forever Halloween was announced for release in June. In addition, the album's artwork was revealed.[9] On April 16, "Happy" was made available for streaming.[10] On May 7, a lyric video was released for "Love and Drugs". The track was also available as a free download.[11] On May 23, a behind-the-scenes video on the making of the album was posted online.[12] The album was released on June 4. It was released in the US in partnership with the group's management team Eighty One Twenty Three, and Rude Records internationally.[9] On the same day, a music video was released for "These Four Words".[13] In June and July, the group went on the 8123 tour in North America alongside A Rocket to the Moon, This Century and Brighten.[10] In September, the group went on a tour of Australia with Anberlin and William Beckett.[14] On September 13, a music video was released for "Love & Drugs".[15]

In October and November, the group embarked on a co-headlining US tour with Anberlin.[16] They were supported by Lydia and From Indian Lakes.[17] In April 2014, the group went on a tour of the UK with Deaf Havana. In May, the group embarked on a South American tour[18] with Nick Santino.[19] On May 21, "Ugly on the Inside" was made available for streaming.[20] Between June and August, the group went on Warped Tour across the US.[19] On June 8, the group released a video on the creation of the album's artwork.[21] "So Criminal" was made available for streaming on June 14.[22] On June 17,the band released a deluxe version of the album with five additional bonus tracks.[23] Physical copies of this edition were sold exclusively on Warped Tour.[20] Preceded by a teaser trailer,[24] a music video was released for "Run" on August 11.[25]

Reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic72/100[26]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[27]
Alter the Press!5/5[28]
idobi4.25/5[29]
PopMatters6/10[30]

The album sold over 10,000 copies in its first week debuting at number 39 on the Billboard 200,[31] and has sold 26,000 copies as of March 2015.[32]

Forever Halloween has received mostly positive feedback from music critics. At Metacritic, they assign a "weighted average" rating out of 100 to selected independent ratings and reviews from mainstream critics, and the album has received a Metascore of a 72, based on 4 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[26] Gregory Heaney of AllMusic rated the album three stars out of five, writing that the album "(Strikes) just the right balance between melancholy and wistfulness, (evoking) nostalgia without feeling overly sentimental as it takes a contemplative stroll down memory lane with a city-meets-country sound that feels inspired by the more pop-leaning moments of bands like Wilco and the Old 97's."[27]

Track listing
Forever Halloween track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Take What You Can Carry"3:00
2."Love & Drugs"3:30
3."Run"3:39
4."White Walls"4:23
5."Happy"2:43
6."Birthday in Los Angeles"3:17
7."Blood Red"3:18
8."Kennedy Curse"3:48
9."Sad Songs"3:21
10."Fucked Up Kids"4:35
11."These Four Words"4:08
12."Forever Halloween"5:26
Total length:45:12
Forever Halloween (Deluxe Version) bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
13."So Criminal"3:27
14."Vanilla"4:07
15."Ugly on the Inside"3:56
16."Bliss"3:25
17."Ice Cave"4:55
Total length:65:02

Personnel

Members

  • John O'Callaghan – lead vocals, piano
  • Jared Monaco – lead guitar
  • Kennedy Brock – rhythm guitar, vocals
  • Garrett Nickelsen – bass guitar
  • Patrick Kirch – drums, percussion

Production[33]

  • Bucky Baxter – pedal steel
  • Brendan Benson – producer
  • Andrew Higley – pump organ
  • Tim Kirch – art direction, concept, layout
  • Dirk Mai – art direction, concept, photography
  • The Maine – composer, primary artist
  • Mike Esser – engineer, percussion
  • Matthew Van Gasbeck – composer
  • Mark Watrous – backing vocals
  • Colby Wedgeworth – mastering, mixing

Charts
2013 weekly chart performance for Forever Halloween
Chart (2013) Peak
position
UK Independent Album Breakers (OCC)[34] 15
US Billboard 200[35] 39
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[36] 8
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[37] 13
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[38] 16
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[39] 9
2021 weekly chart performance for Forever Halloween
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[40] 6

References
  1. "The Maine - Forever Halloween". Alternative Press. May 29, 2013. Archived from the original on March 24, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  2. Bird, Michele (August 6, 2012). "The Maine announce co-headlining tour with Mayday Parade". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on August 11, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  3. Colwell, Matthew (August 7, 2012). "The Maine, Mayday Parade and the Postelles tour dates revealed". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on August 10, 2012. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  4. "Forever Halloween Press Release". Archived from the original on 2013-09-10.
  5. Bird, Michele (February 13, 2013). "The Maine release second studio update video". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on December 31, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  7. Kraus, Brian (March 10, 2013). "The Maine finish recording fourth album, post new studio update". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on May 29, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  8. Common, Tyler (April 4, 2012). "The Maine finish fourth album". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on December 31, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  9. Whitt, Cassie (April 12, 2013). "The Maine announce new album, 'Forever Halloween'; out June 4". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  10. Common, Tyler (April 16, 2013). "The Maine stream new song "Happy," announce dates for the 8123 tour". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on April 19, 2013. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  11. Kraus, Brian (May 7, 2013). "The Maine release lyric video and free download for "Love And Drugs"". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on December 31, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  12. Common, Tyler (May 23, 2013). "The Maine post behind the scenes look at new album, "Forever Halloween"". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on August 15, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  13. Bird, Michele (June 4, 2013). "The Maine release "These Four Words" video". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on June 12, 2013. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  14. Campbell, Rachel (July 31, 2013). "William Beckett premieres "Benny and Joon" music video". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. Archived from the original on July 2, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  15. Kraus, Brian (September 13, 2013). "The Maine release "Love & Drugs" music video". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on September 16, 2013. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  16. Bird, Michele (August 1, 2013). "Anberlin and the Maine announce co-headlining tour". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on August 12, 2013. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  17. Kraus, Brian (August 31, 2013). "The Maine and Anberlin add Lydia and From Indian Lakes to fall tour". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on September 4, 2013. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  18. Crane, Matt (April 4, 2014). "The Maine post UK tour update". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on April 6, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  19. Bird, Michele (May 12, 2014). "The Maine post South American tour update". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on May 29, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  20. Crane, Matt (May 21, 2014). "The Maine stream new song, "Ugly On The Inside"". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on May 25, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  21. Sharp, Tyler (June 8, 2014). "The Maine post making of 'Forever Halloween' artwork video". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on June 11, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  22. Sharp, Tyler (June 14, 2014). "The Maine release new song, "So Criminal"". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on August 17, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  23. "The Maine - Forever Halloween (Deluxe Edition)". Alter the Press!. June 10, 2014. Archived from the original on April 10, 2017. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  24. Sharp, Tyler (August 8, 2014). "The Maine tease "Run" music video". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  25. Kruas, Brian (August 11, 2014). "The Maine release "Run" music video". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on August 14, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  26. Metacritic. "Critic Reviews for Forever Halloween". Archived from the original on June 16, 2014. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  27. Heaney, Gregory. "Forever Halloween - The Maine - Review". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  28. Patneaude, Victoria (May 22, 2013). "ATP! Album Review: The Maine - Forever Halloween". Alter the Press!. Archived from the original on March 26, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  29. Oliver, Marina (June 4, 2013). "The Maine – Forever Halloween: Album Review". idobi. Archived from the original on March 24, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  30. Sawdey, Evan (June 5, 2013). "The Maine: Forever Halloween - Review". Archived from the original on April 24, 2015. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  31. "The Maine Billboard".
  32. "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. Archived from the original on March 21, 2015.
  33. "Forever Halloween - The Maine - AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 31, 2017. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
  34. "Official Independent Album Breakers Chart: 8 June 2013 - 14 June 2013". Official Charts. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  35. "The Maine Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  36. "The Maine Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  37. "The Maine Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  38. "The Maine Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  39. "The Maine Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  40. "Albumit 24/2021" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
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