Echo Article / Feb 09
Echo Weekly / Shain Shapiro

The Maynards’ sophomore release, Break Up the Make Up was arguably one of the most offensively poppy albums of 2005, one which saw the Halifax trio assault every melody they could in an attempt to maraud all those within earshot immediately to the dance floor. And in essence, it worked. The album topped several end of year lists and catapulted The Maynards up the campus college radio food chain, giving them one of the better–received albums of the year. One of the reasons for the rise was that it has always been difficult to find fault in The Maynards collage of scrappy pop. It’s short, sweet, to the point and catchy, giving the listener everything pop should, with a hint of cynicism tacked on top for good measure. But music moves quickly, and as fast as The Maynards ascent was, so became the beginning of a quieter stage in the band. Music press is ephemeral, and when The Maynards went back to Halifax to regroup and begin recording a follow–up, the press moved onto other sounds, bands and styles. But all the while, The Maynards were writing stronger, more decisive pop songs, drenched in punk, noir–folk and garage rock. Their shows out east grew, alongside a collective yearning for a new record. Now, three years later, they are back, and the acclaim and critical praise that followed them around the first time is trailing alongside. Why? Well, The Maynards have a new record titled Date and Destroy, and it is very, very good. “All our records seem to have inherent themes,” muses bassist Kristina Parlee. “The last record was all about launching into a kissing binge after extricating oneself from a long term relationship. But there are only so many ways a kissing binge can play out: trail of broken hearts, crying in the bathroom, nursing romantic wounds and so on. This record, titled Date and Destroy, mostly concerns itself with that gory aftermath.”