Black & White is the second album by The Maine and was released on July 13, 2010. The album features singles "Inside of You" and "Growing Up". It debuted at No. 16 on the Billboard 200 with 22,634 copies sold in its first week.
Background
In July 2009, it was announced that the group had recently signed to major label Warner Bros. Records.
Recording
Recorded in California with producer Howard Benson, Black & White sees The Maine stepping out of their comfort zone and creating a cohesive body of work that is an "album", in the most traditional sense of the word. "This time we really wanted to focus on the songwriting and make sure all the songs were great so no matter where on the disc you are you can tell it's an album instead of a bunch of songs that are thrown together", drummer Pat Kirch explains. Acoustic versions of the songs "Inside of You" and "Right Girl" can be found on YouTube as well as the deluxe version of the record.
Release
On the release date of the album, July 13, the band and their crew embarked on an entire 24-hour event which had been streamed live via their MySpace page, Ustream, and website. Everyone who viewed the event online had chances to win some prizes, see acoustic sets, and also receive calls from the band through their "Say Now" account. A music video for "Inside of You", directed by Cage Free, was released on July 19, 2010. "Inside of You" was released on the band's website as a promotional single and later announced as the first official single off the album, shortly after it had been uploaded as a lyrics video on their official YouTube page. "Growing Up" was released on May 18, 2010 as the second promotional single for the album. "Right Girl" - The second official single off the album, and was sent to radio on September 29, 2010. A music video for the song was released on November 24. "Growing Up" was then later serviced to radio stations as the album's third single in February 2011. In March, the group went on a tour of the UK. "Don't Stop Now" was released as a free download through the group's Facebook profile. "Listen to Your Heart" was released as the album's fourth single, and was serviced to U.S. radio stations in June. A video for the song was premiered via PureVolume on July 1. Throughout July, the group released a multi-part documentary about the making of the album.
Critical reception
"On their first major-label release, the Maine take a step away from the emo-pop sound they began with. Instead of fast tempos, sunny songs about girls, and auto-tuned vocals, "Black & White" has a more mature and measured approach. The tempos are nearly all mid, the mood is often melancholy or nostalgic, and the overall feel is much more grown up. The presence of Hammond organ is a trademark signifier of a serious and adult band and it appears in a handful of songs here, layered in among the acoustic guitars. There’s no trace of punk left in their approach, in other words. In fact, if the vocals had more of a twang, the record could pass for a modern country release.... There are definitely quite a few songs that would sound good on the radio, like the hooky "Fuel to the Fire" and the cute "Right Girl." "Black & White" also won Alternative Press "Album of the Year" in 2010.
