The Maine w/ Taking Back Sunday and Charlotte Sands “Loved You A Little” and Papa Roach “No Apologies” are two stellar offerings from masters of their craft that bring all the emotion and all the rock! This new DLC debuts this Thursday in the Rock Band Music Store.
This collaborative single from The Maine w/ Taking Back Sunday and Charlotte Sands released in January of 2022 is brimming with heart-wrenching lyrics and an appealingly – and somewhat incongruously – upbeat vibe. The Maine proudly self-identifies as an “Arizona Emo Group” (also coining the slogan “Make America Emo Again,” which created buzz during the 2016 Presidential election cycle) and “Loved You A Little” plants its flag firmly in that genre from the very first notes. Those first notes are Sands’ haunting delivery of what eventually reveals itself to be the chorus over an unadorned, chiming guitar line. This sparse intro quickly segues into plenty of The Maine’s John O’Callaghan trading sing-along vocals with Adam Lazzara and Sands over an urgent drumbeat and chugging guitar before, at the 1:32 mark, we get the “real,” full-power refrain – and wow, what a moment that is! Bombastic, irresistibly melodic, and commanding: get ready to have this one stuck in your subconscious for a while. Written by The Maine, one of the most consistently solid rock outfits since their breakout in 2008, “Loved You A Little” is an instant anthem that plumbs depths of emotional despair with precision and grace amidst slashing six-string riffage, massive drums, and (first and foremost) vocals, vocals, vocals! “This song is for anyone feeling like they wasted their time on a feeling,” noted The Maine’s John O’Callaghan upon the song’s release. “Adam and Charlotte both gave that sentiment more energy than I could have ever imagined and now we get to share it all with you.” Truly, the vocal trio complements one another effortlessly and the blend results in a multi-layered track that oozes profundity, gravity, and raw power. “Loved You A Little” is an undeniable scorcher deserving of repeat listens – and repeat plays!
From Papa Roach’s 2022 album, Ego Trip, “No Apologies” finds the ever-evolving California-based quartet delivering their signature brand of earnest, catchy hard rock, but with an even greasier emotional depth. The genesis of the track – and the entire album, itself – can be traced back to when the group entered a COVID-secure mansion in Temeluca, California in the summer of 2020 to keep creatively active in a world that had shut down. The unavoidably fraught nature of that time period is reflected in the deeply raw lyrical content and expressive musical performances on “No Apologies,” a track about compassion and acceptance. Frontman Jacoby Shaddix, who wrote the song with bassist Tobin Esperance and touring rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Anthony Esperance and producers Colin Brittain and Nicholas “RAS” Furlong, has explained, "I just know that when I hold those resentments and that anger inside, it's a weight that just drags me down. I wrote these lyrics to serve as a letter to my biological father. I forgive you, old man. I love you." Shaddix’s clean, crisp vocal delivery is front-and-center from the very first second of “No Apologies,” supported by satisfyingly buzzy guitars, a throbbing bass line, and snappy drums. Papa Roach once again directs life’s conflicts into an infectiously melodic expression of release and inspiration – an enduring asset which has seen the band outlast many of its peers and which led this cut to the top of the Mainstream Rock Airplay charts in the fall of 2022, the four-piece’s eighth track to do so. Disarmingly honest in concept and delivery, teeming with brooding lyrics and six-string prowess, “No Apologies” powers through with the effort of purpose until the recording’s abrupt ending at the 3:08 mark. Grab your studded belt out of the closet, spike up your hair, and get ready for the rock (and all the feels)!
“No Apologies” propelled Papa Roach’s eleventh studio album, Ego Trip, to the upper reaches of the Hard Rock charts in 2022 and it takes only one listen to grasp why. Potent guitars, a thunderous rhythm section, and a passionate vocal delivery of achingly poignant lyrics make this one an instant favorite. If you’ve been digging on “No Apologies,” you’ll definitely wanna be heading over to Spotify to take the deep plunge into Papa Roach’s extensive catalog of hard rock excellence: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4RddZ3iHvSpGV4dvATac9X
Also, be sure to drop by www.paparoachmerch.com for tour updates and to pick up the band’s music and officially licensed merch!
The Maine w/ Taking Back Sunday and Charlotte Sands “Loved You A Little” and Papa Roach “No Apologies” are available for $1.99 each.
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*Please note that this week’s DLC tracks will be available for purchase on Thursday, January 12th.