As The Maine is gearing up to release their brand new, self-titled album on August 1st, the alternative/pop-rockers have paid homage to Taylor Swift with an emo-tinged, breezy cover of her Lover hit “Cruel Summer.”
The airy, synth-heavy cover of “Cruel Summer” comes on the heels of their two latest singles, “how to exit a room” and “blame,” which is currently climbing the charts at alternative radio.
The Maine’s vocalist John O’Callaghan shares, “We couldn’t get tickets for Taylor Swift’s tour, so we decided to cover “Cruel Summer” so we can have our own concert on the tour bus. Now we just need to make some bootleg t-shirts and it’ll be like we’re front row. Hope you enjoy it!”
In true Taylor Swift style with her infamous Easter eggs, The Maine built up to the announcement of their self-titled album through cryptic posts across social media, following the evolution of the band through highlights and throwbacks from each previous album’s era.
The band will celebrate the album’s release day with their fans in Denver for 8123 Day – where The Maine will headline the Fillmore Auditorium with support from former tourmates Real Friends and Knuckle Puck. Alongside the show, fans can shop the 8123 Pop Up Shop the day before (July 31st) as well as on show day. Special guests, additional events, and more details will be announced at a later date.
Furthermore, The Maine have previously announced that they will be re-recording their sophomore album, Black & White, much like Swift in order to re-claim the record as it was their only release via a major label.
Check out the remaining tour dates for The Maine, and pre-order their new album here.
Tour dates:
7/21 – Chicago, IL – Sad Summer Fest
7/22 – Indianapolis, IN – Sad Summer Fest
7/23 – Nashville, TN – Sad Summer Fest
7/25 – Irving, TX – Sad Summer Fest
7/26 – Del Valle, TX – Sad Summer Fest
7/29 – Irvine, CA – Sad Summer Fest
8/1 – Denver, CO – 8123 Day
8/12 – Washington, PA – Four Chord Music Festival
8/25 – São Paulo, Brazil – VIP Station
8/26 – São Paulo, Brazil – VIP Station