ALBUM REVIEW: The Maybe Man by AJR

1. "Maybe Man"

    This entire song is framed as Jack having an idea about what would be a good change for his life, then giving a reason why that shouldn't actually happen. It's a good song and a unique premise, sure, but it feels like they tried to do "3 O'Clock Things" again but just didn't do as well. It definitely shows their ability for songwriting but doesn't really stick out.

Rating: 6/10

2. "Touchy Feely Fool"

    AJR is at their best when they're writing relatable and catchy tunes, and this track is the epitome of that. It's about dreaming of the things you wish you could say or do but are too scared/emotional to actually do. It's also just a really good song.

Rating: 8/10

3. "Yes I'm a Mess"

     A song about trying to accept the chaos and messiness of who you are and trying to embrace it. It's probably my least favorite of the singles leading up to the album's release, but it's still great.

Rating: 8/10

4. "The Dumb Song"

     Easily a top-tier track. So much production effort and time went into this song and they even made a video showing all the work that went into it. This song was a pure passion project for AJR and it shows.

Rating: 10/10

5. "Inertia"

    This song didn't really stuck out to me at first, but subsequent listens have made me love it. It's about having dreams and goals but feeling like what you're working towards is actually nothing at all. It's quite catchy and very good.

Rating: 10/10

6. "Turning Out, Pt. III"

    With this being the third part of a trilogy wherein the first two songs were amazing, I had a lot of expectation for this song. And it delivered - mostly. While it is great and emotional, it in my opinion doesn't really measure up to the first two parts.

Rating: 7/10

7. "Hole in the Bottom of My Brain"

     A song about how you feel constantly stressed/emotional and certain good things in your life help alleviate that feeling. It's very catchy and a good song, but the thing is that it's one of the last songs I got down from this album. It's pretty cool that the acronym is "HITBOMB", though.

Rating: 7/10

8. "The DJ is Crying for Help"

     I'll jump straight to it: this is my favorite song on the record. Hands down. With the long wait after "I Won't" for more music, this song was the one that actually felt like the beginning of the new AJR era. And boy, was it a great start. This song is basically a message from the brothers saying "yeah, we'll be here to help you, and we're glad for that, but we're going through some stuff of our own."

Rating: 10/10

9. "I Won't"

    Hey, look, it's the song I mentioned in the last one! It's certainly anthemic and reflects common AJR themes of wanting to fit in and only partying because of that desire of wanting to be seen as cool, but it feels kinda repetitive and, I don't know, something just makes me wanna not give it a full 10.

Rating: 9/10

10. "Steve's Going to London"

      This one is my favorite of the new songs (the ones that weren't released as singles in promotion for the album). I'm not entirely sure that this is what it's about, but in my mind this one is about a group of high school friends and what has become of them since. The chorus rattles off different male names and gives a brief descriptor of whatever is happening to them now. It's pretty great.

Rating: 10/10

11. "God is Really Real"

      One of the saddest songs, maybe ever. This song is about their dad's illness, who eventually passed. They wrote it for their dad and weren't intending on releasing it as a single, but they released it so their dad could hear it, and he unfortunately passed later the same day. My sister refuses to listen to this song again because of the sheer sadness of it. I'll still listen to it, but I may end up skipping it sometimes when I just don't feel like hearing a sad song. And I know the brothers were grieving, but as a Christian I don't like the associating the f-word with God.

Rating: 9/10

12. "2085"

      This song seems to be about fearing becoming old and looking back and thinking you didn't amount to as much as you could've. Fearing that you won't have the happiness that you're supposed to have with old age. It's a great song and of the ones that made the album, is certainly fitting as the closer.

Rating: 9/10

Overall Rating: 86%