The Maine Releases 10th Album Joy Next Door
- Apr 20
- 4 min read
Ash Rafferty
April 20, 2026
Our 8123 icons from Arizona are back with their tenth studio album titled Joy Next Door, and this one isn’t anything short of amazing, fun, and beautifully done to tug at the heartstrings of those who listen.
The Maine has become a household name in the alternative scene. Founded in 2007 by drummer Pat Kirch and bassist Garrett Nickelsen, these icons have been making moves in the industry for nineteen years and counting. From their 2007 scene-vibe EP The Way We Talk, to their 2023 alternative-pop self-titled album, The Maine has admirably done it all, and their tenth album in the near two decades of being a band has proved their point of unpredictability with each release further. We’re sat to say the least, and we listen when John O’Callaghan sings.
Starting in November of 2025, The Maine’s Instagram account began teasing their ‘I Love You But I Chose The Maine’ tour by posting each of their nine albums over the course of three days captioned with what each album from Can’t Stop Won’t Stop, to The Maine meant to them. Shortly after, the ‘I Love You But I Chose The Maine’ tour was announced. The catch? The tour poster was appropriately decorated with each of the bands’ nine albums yet one more with a question mark placed over it was included. In the caption of the first initial tour announcement post, it reads, “Ps. Album 10 is coming!” which, predictably enough, caused a stir of excitement within the 8123 fandom.
In January of this year, The Maine started their teasing of Joy Next Door with the official announcement of the album on the 23rd of that month. The haunting quote in the teaser video stating “But if you stopped to listen, you can hear how much of life really happens in the quiet.” communicates the purpose of Joy Next Door that was discussed further later on. ‘Die To Fall’ was presented to fans on January 28th, closely followed by ‘Quiet Part Loud’, and lastly ‘Palms’ before the rest of Joy Next Door became available on April 10th.
Nostalgia is one way to describe the feelings that emit from Joy Next Door. Descriptions of youth, what it means to grow up, and how your own life continues to change at a rapid rate are the strongly communicated themes throughout this fantastic album from The Maine. “I found myself feeling,” John O’Callaghan says in an Instagram caption regarding the album, “and still sometimes feel just outside of my life almost like [I’m] watching it happen through a window…But I had been so upset with myself for feeling this way; so in-between and so disconnected with my own life that I wanted to share that on this album.”
From high-energy songs such as ‘3:31’ with the repeated line of I feel so famous! To their melancholic title track ‘Joy Next Door’ itself, every song on The Maine’s tenth album is iconic to say the least. When it comes to their fifth track ‘Joy Next Door’ especially, the theme of change emphasizes the aligning feeling of disconnection. Every picture on the wall says the hardest part of change is staying // Joy comes and goes, and some flowers never grow old // Sometimes in the background, communicates the feeling of joy as a person who, as beautifully versed in the song, comes and goes without warning. Experiencing change in life, whether it be big or small, can bring a flood of unpredictable emotions, and at times causes the person living through it to feel like they’re watching their life happen rapidly from the backseat of a car. As John says it himself in the song, Joy left a note, and some flowers by the window, furthers the idea of Joy being a physical being who is not always there when it’s needed most.
As mentioned previously, a strong feeling of nostalgia is one of the most prominent factors when listening to Joy Next Door. The opening track ‘Green’ specifically nails this emotion of simply being young and experiencing youth. Kids are getting high on dummy grass // Up the street where I learned to crash, conveys the idea of seeing kids doing what one did during their youth and reminiscing on it. ‘Green’ specifically is an important song to Joy Next Door, as the lyric of Maybe this is what it feels like to fall said at the conclusion of the song is a direct parallel to the closing line of ‘And Then’ with the slight word change to, Maybe this it what it feels like to fall for her. Tugging at the heartstrings, right? It tugged at ours too.
The Maine never fail to truly connect themselves with the beauty that is their fanbase. Nineteen years and counting, John, Jared, Garrett, Pat, and Kennedy continue to thoroughly display their talent and what it truly means to create music. As John has said, “I decided to stop trying to explain what 8123 means…I can’t describe it, but then look around. This is what it is.”
Mindy’s top three: Quiet Part Loud, Green, Joy Next Door
Ash’s top three: It’s Not Over Yet, Quiet Part Loud, Joy Next Door
If this article wasn’t enough for you, stream Joy Next Door out now and catch our boys currently on their ‘I Love You But I Chose The Maine’ headline tour!
Grab your tickets while you still can!
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