“Halloween Forever” by The Maine

– By Dustin Blocker –

RATING: “DON’T PUSH PLAY”

From gloom-chorded indie rock to radio-ready power pop, Arizona’s The Maine wax like chameleons across so many varied musical landscapes so quickly that there is no audibly authentic pulse to their fourth full length Forever Halloween.  As standalone efforts “Run” and “Birthday in Los Angeles” are solid, it’s only in the context of the full length that they seem disingenuous.

There are buckets of talented musicianship exuding beneath the weight of John O’Callaghan’s campy lyricism, and that is the injustice of this album; the emotional depth is so vaguely palpable that the sentiments read as posture.

It is not quite “indie”, nor is it “pop”.  A middling blend of nothingness that wafts past, collecting traction, but kicking up little dust.

Vaguely. Palpable. Emotions. “DO NOT PUSH PLAY”