It’s been four years since Maroon 5 released an album and six since their Super Bowl performance. With only one single produced in 2022 and 2023, there was only one question looming over Maroon 5 fans: Is their reign finally over?
The answer is not yet, as the band released a brand new 10-song album on August 15 titled “Love is Like.” It was announced earlier this year in June, and leading up to its release, four of the album’s songs were released as singles.
As someone who seemed to hear Maroon 5 every single day growing up, whether it be through my family’s CD player or over the radio, it interested me to see the band was releasing another album, especially after this long of a break. Nevertheless, I was excited to see what their sound would be for this album, and how it compares to their hits in the past.
The first song on this album is “Hideaway,” a song about hiding away from all of your troubles with a beat that makes you bop your head to the beat with some subtle bongos in the back. It is like Adam Levine, the lead singer of the band, is talking to a significant other and trying to convince them to enjoy their time together without the worries of the world. Although the vibe is a lot calmer than some of their earlier songs, it really matches the story the lyrics try to tell.
The next song, “Love is Like,” featuring Lil Wayne, has a much different sound. While it is also about being in a relationship, it leans more towards the negative and complex side of falling in love by using drugs as a metaphor. The song depicts someone becoming “addicted” to someone’s love, and while that can be good in the moment, the addiction and potential problems can lead to challenges in maintaining the relationship. While the song has a more electronic sound, I still like it, especially with the addition of Lil Wayne. That was one of my favorite aspects of their last album, “Jordi,” and I am glad to see that the band is still collaborating with other artists.
Starting off with a saxophone melody, “All Night” is about wanting to stay with a toxic partner. This song is one I can only describe as groovy, especially with the added saxophone in a couple of parts of this song. It is one of my favorites on the album because of its differentiated sound compared to the other tracks.
“Yes I Did” is one of the faster songs on this album. With a rap-like sound, the track is about regretting leaving a relationship and accepting the mistakes made during said relationship. It starts off really fast, but then slows into a trap beat. It still matches the vibes of the rest of the tracks so far, but I still appreciate this one for the faster tempo with a little bit more rapping thrown into the mix.
Next up is “Priceless,” previously released as a single, the song represents the halfway mark of the album. It features LISA, a Thai rapper and singer. The lyrics about the value of love and finding the person who is special to you, combined with the nostalgic funk-hinted pop beat, easily make it one of the best songs on the album. With the pairing of LISA, an artist whom I will be listening to a lot more after this song, the song makes itself stand out against the rest of the tracks.
Featuring St. Louis-based rapper Sexyy Red, “I Like It” is about not caring about getting your heart broken and played with, and enjoying being treated wrong. While I am not usually one for Sexyy Red songs, her being featured in this one was the perfect touch to bring the song together. It reminds me of some of their older works, such as “Beautiful Mistakes” featuring Megan Thee Stallion, but it has more of a modern pop feel than that song. Still, this is my favorite on the album.
“Burn Burn Burn,” another funk-pop song, is about internal pain in a relationship but not wanting to let it out, so he lets it “burn burn burn.” It also has a theme of accepting that he has to grow personally before he can fully be in a relationship with his partner. While this sounds like “Hideaway,” I still like the sound of it, although they do sound similar.
Next on the tracklist is “Jealousy Problems,” which sounds very similar to “Burn Burn Burn” with its beat but has a very different meaning. It dives into the complex feelings you would feel in a relationship that stems from jealousy. Just because it sounds so much like the song before it, it almost blends in despite it being a good song.
The second-to-last song on this album is titled “My Love,” which has one of the most unique beats on the whole album. There is a lot of guitar in this song, making it more similar to some of the band’s older songs, yet it still has the more modern, trap beat that is commonly seen throughout the album. The track sees Levine professing his love despite the problems he and his partner are having in their relationship and how nothing is going to stop him from remaining in love with his partner. Because of the uniqueness of this song, it became one of my favorites on the album. It is no “This Love” or “Moves Like Jagger,” but it is something that I could find myself jamming out to.
Finally, “California,” one of the album’s slower songs, marks the end of the project. Instead of another funk song, it has an acoustic guitar in the background, making it the song on this album that is the closest to a true 2000s or 2010s love song. Despite it being slower, the lyrics about reflecting on a relationship that went wrong and hoping to reconnect with that person make it one of my favorites. It is one of the more raw songs of the album, and I do really like it. This song was the reason I learned about the album because it was released as a single, and I am glad it was this one I heard first. It is a song you could sing in the car during a sunset drive or even in your dorm.
There is a deluxe version of this album with three additional songs, “Cigarettes,” “Ice Cream” and “Closer” featuring Marshmello, all of which have the same pop, slightly funk-infused sound and beats.
Overall, is this my favorite album? No, but I am excited to see Maroon 5 still going strong. Because of the fact that I grew up with their earlier albums, such as “Songs About Jane,” “Hands All Over,” and “Overexposed,” I don’t know if I can say I like the more modern sound of the band as much as their 2000s and 2010s hits. However, this is not a bad sound for them. The quicker-paced, more rock-sounding songs just seem to be what they were made to make, and their past few albums, such as “Jordi” and “Red Pill Blues,” have started to melt away from that sound they had. However, if you are looking for an album to chill or study to, I could not recommend this album more, and I am interested in where the band is going from here.
Hayley Doda can be contacted at
hayley@kscequinox.com
