# The Maybe Man

The Maybe Man is the fifth studio album by the American pop trio AJR. It was released on November 10, 2023, following their previous studio album OK Orchestra (2021). It is the band's first album released as part of its deal with Mercury/Republic Records.

## Promotion and release

In 2022, AJR embarked on a world tour in support of their fourth studio album OK Orchestra. On the tour, they performed their then-unreleased song "I Won't" as a surprise addition to the set, before releasing it as the lead single for their upcoming fifth studio album on July 29, 2022. On November 12, 2022, AJR revealed the album title's abbreviation of "TMM", fitting into the pattern "T** M**** M**". Fans immediately started posting speculative potential titles on the internet; popular theories included "The Music Men", "Ten Meter Men", and "The Manly Men". The band released the album's second single "The DJ Is Crying for Help" on November 18. The third single "The Dumb Song" was released on April 21, 2023.
The fourth single, "God Is Really Real", was surprise-released on YouTube on July 3, 2023, along with a lyric video. While the song was originally set to be dropped along with the album, it was released much earlier than originally scheduled, in order to commemorate the life of their terminally ill father Gary. He died later that day. The single had an official release on July 5, 2023.
On August 27, 2023, they posted the message "Enormous news tomorrow. maybe." to their social media accounts along with a previously unveiled logo featuring the "TMM" acronym. The album's full title and release date were announced the next day in a teaser video featuring the ending of the animated music video for the album's first track, "Maybe Man". The band revealed the track list and album cover on September 11.
The fifth and final single "Yes I'm a Mess" was released on September 29, 2023. A comedic music video, shot in Times Square, was released on October 25. On October 11, AJR announced that The Maybe Man would be delayed exactly one week from its original release date, due to "exciting opportunities" relating to the album release. The album was then released on November 10 alongside a music video for "Maybe Man". On November 29, a music video for "Inertia", the 5th song on the album, was released. On January 23, 2024, a music video for "Touchy Feely Fool", the 2nd song on the album, was released.

## Songs

"Maybe Man", the album's first track, is a melancholy song with lyrics that interpolates with other songs, such as the line "I wish I was big, as big as my house..." interpolates with Inertia's line "Don't you like it bigger, better but you do what'cha can?". "Touchy Feely Fool" is an upbeat yet reflective track that touches on the awkwardness and vulnerability of emotions, describing a rough breakup.
The album was supposed to have a 13th track, but it wasn't made due to the song supposedly not fitting in with the rest of the album's theme. The brothers deemed the track too upbeat and positive for it to fit in perfectly with the rest of the songs. It is confirmed that this track will be released at some point in the future, likely within the deluxe version of the album that the brothers have also confirmed will come out.

## The Maybe Man Tour

On November 9, 2023, AJR announced their first arena tour to promote the album, most notably including two stops at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Tickets for the tour went on sale on November 17.
On November 14, 2023, AJR announced a second show for Madison Square Garden in New York, due to the first show being sold out on the first day of presale.
On February 13, 2024, the band announced that the supporting acts for the tour will be Mxmtoon, Dean Lewis and Almost Monday.
On April 1, 2024, AJR canceled the tour's first show due to the Norfolk Scope venue being too small to accommodate the show, announcing on April 11 that it was rescheduled to June 23.
On April 2, 2024, due to high demand, Idaho Central Arena announced on their Instagram account that the Boise show would take place at ExtraMile Arena. The previously purchased tickets for Idaho Central Arena was shifted towards the newer venue ensuring that the tickets were still valid.
On July 8, the concert scheduled to take place at Toyota Center the next day was canceled due to the safety concerns surrounding Hurricane Beryl.
As of August 2024, the tour has reportedly sold over 500,000 tickets.
On August 8, Adam Met announced that he would not be performing with the band for the Asia shows to attend the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
The August 17, 2024 Osaka concert is the only concert of the tour to be performed in the afternoon (local time of where the concert was happening.)

### Tour dates

The Maybe Man Tour dates :
| Date (2024) | City | Country | Venue | Attendance | Revenue | Opening Act of performance |
| North America |||||||
| April 2 | Norfolk | United States | Norfolk Scope | Rescheduled | Rescheduled | Rescheduled |
| April 3 | Philadelphia | United States | Wells Fargo Center | TBD | TBD | Dean Lewis |
| April 4 | Boston | United States | TD Garden | TBD | TBD | Dean Lewis |
| April 6 | Hartford | United States | XL Center | TBD | TBD | Dean Lewis |
| April 7 | Baltimore | United States | CFG Bank Arena | TBD | TBD | Dean Lewis |
| April 9 | Raleigh | United States | PNC Arena | TBD | TBD | Dean Lewis |
| April 10 | Charlotte | United States | Spectrum Center | TBD | TBD | Dean Lewis |
| April 12 | Indianapolis | United States | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | TBD | TBD | Dean Lewis |
| April 13 | Louisville | United States | KFC Yum! Center | TBD | TBD | Dean Lewis |
| April 14 | Grand Rapids | United States | Van Andel Arena | TBD | TBD | Dean Lewis |
| April 16 | Des Moines | United States | Wells Fargo Arena | TBD | TBD | Andrew Hoyt |
| April 17 | St. Paul | United States | Xcel Energy Center | TBD | TBD | Dean Lewis |
| April 19 | Kansas City | United States | T-Mobile Center | TBD | TBD | Dean Lewis |
| April 23 | Boise | United States | ExtraMile Arena | TBD | TBD | Dean Lewis |
| April 24 | Portland | United States | Moda Center | TBD | TBD | Dean Lewis |
| April 26 | Seattle | United States | Climate Pledge Arena | TBD | TBD | Dean Lewis |
| April 29 | San Francisco | United States | Chase Center | TBD | TBD | Dean Lewis |
| May 1 | San Diego | United States | Pechanga Arena | TBD | TBD | Dean Lewis |
| May 4 | Oklahoma City | United States | Paycom Center | TBD | TBD | Dean Lewis |
| May 7 | Austin | United States | Moody Center | TBD | TBD | Dean Lewis |
| May 9 | Tampa | United States | Amalie Arena | TBD | TBD | Dean Lewis |
| May 10 | Orlando | United States | Kia Center | TBD | TBD | Dean Lewis |
| May 12 | Jacksonville | United States | VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena | TBD | TBD | Dean Lewis |
| May 14 | Hollywood | United States | Hard Rock Live | TBD | TBD | Dean Lewis |
| June 23 | Norfolk | United States | Norfolk Scope | TBD | TBD | Almost Monday |
| June 25 | Pittsburgh | United States | PPG Paints Arena | TBD | TBD | mxmtoon and Almost Monday |
| June 27 | Cleveland | United States | Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse | TBD | TBD | mxmtoon and Almost Monday |
| June 28 | Columbus | United States | Nationwide Arena | TBD | TBD | mxmtoon and Almost Monday |
| June 29 | Chicago | United States | Allstate Arena | TBD | TBD | mxmtoon and Almost Monday |
| June 30 | Detroit | United States | Little Caesars Arena | TBD | TBD | mxmtoon and Almost Monday |
| July 3 | Chicago | United States | Allstate Arena | TBD | TBD | mxmtoon and Almost Monday |
| July 4 | Milwaukee | United States | American Family Insurance Amphitheater | TBD | TBD | mxmtoon and Carly Rae Jepsen |
| July 6 | St. Louis | United States | Enterprise Center | TBD | TBD | mxmtoon and Almost Monday |
| July 9 | Houston | United States | Toyota Center | Cancelled due to Hurricane Beryl | Cancelled due to Hurricane Beryl | Cancelled due to Hurricane Beryl |
| July 10 | Fort Worth | United States | Dickies Arena | TBD | TBD | mxmtoon and Almost Monday |
| July 12 | Phoenix | United States | Footprint Center | TBD | TBD | mxmtoon and Almost Monday |
| July 14 | Los Angeles | United States | Kia Forum | TBD | TBD | mxmtoon and Almost Monday |
| July 16 | Salt Lake City | United States | Delta Center | TBD | TBD | mxmtoon and Almost Monday |
| July 17 | Salt Lake City | United States | Delta Center | TBD | TBD | mxmtoon and Almost Monday |
| July 18 | Denver | United States | Ball Arena | TBD | TBD | mxmtoon and Almost Monday |
| July 20 | Denver | United States | Ball Arena | TBD | TBD | mxmtoon and Almost Monday |
| July 21 | Omaha | United States | CHI Health Center Omaha | TBD | TBD | mxmtoon and Almost Monday |
| July 23 | Cincinnati | United States | Heritage Bank Center | TBD | TBD | mxmtoon and Almost Monday |
| July 25 | Philadelphia | United States | Wells Fargo Center | TBD | TBD | mxmtoon and Almost Monday |
| July 26 | New York City | United States | Madison Square Garden | TBD | TBD | mxmtoon and Almost Monday |
| July 27 | New York City | United States | Madison Square Garden | TBD | TBD | mxmtoon and Almost Monday |
| July 30 | Atlanta | United States | State Farm Arena | TBD | TBD | mxmtoon and Almost Monday |
| July 31 | Nashville | United States | Bridgestone Arena | TBD | TBD | mxmtoon and Almost Monday |
| August 2 | Washington, D.C. | United States | Capital One Arena | TBD | TBD | mxmtoon and Almost Monday |
| August 3 | Boston | United States | TD Garden | TBD | TBD | mxmtoon and Almost Monday |
| Asia |||||||
| August 20 | Seoul | South Korea | Jamsil Arena | TBD | TBD | None |

### Festivals

Festival Shows :
| Date (2024 - 2025) | City | Country | Venue | Attendance | Revenue | Opening Act of performance |
| Asia |||||||
| August 17 | Osaka | Japan | Osaka Sonic Stage | TBD | TBD | None |
| August 18 | Chiba | Japan | Tokyo Sonic Stage | TBD | TBD | None |
| North America |||||||
| March 6 | Houston | United States | NRG Stadium | TBD | TBD | None |
| March 8 | Austin | United States | Auditorium Shores | TBD | TBD | None |
| August 1 | Columbus | United States | Ohio State Fair Celeste Center | TBD | TBD | None |
| September 18 | Puyallup | United States | Washington State Fair | TBD | TBD | None |
* ↑ The original date was April 2, 2024, but was cancelled due to the scope of the show being too much for the venue
* ↑ Rescheduled to June 23, 2024
* ↑ Hoyt replaced Dean Lewis, who did not perform after suffering a concussion.
* ↑ Part of Summerfest
* 1 2 Part of Summer Sonic Festival
* ↑ Part of Houston Rodeo
* ↑ Part of Sips & Sounds Festival
* ↑ Part of Ohio State Fair
* ↑ Part of Washington State Fair

## Reception

The Maybe Man ratings :
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| Spectrum Culture | |
| AllMusic | |
| The Orcale | |
Much like the band's previous albums, The Maybe Man was released to mixed reviews. Spectrum Culture's Thomas Stremfel criticized the album's lyricism, saying the album "barely scratch[es] the surface of the emotional depth their songs could achieve while insisting their music is nothing to take seriously." Writing for AllMusic, Matt Collar praised the album, writing, "With The Maybe Man, AJR continue to turn their personal pain and anxieties into universally relatable pop anthems." Exclaim! listed the album cover as 17th worst of the year, writing: "You've entered a wormhole to 2008 — your only tools for survival are a moustache finger tattoo, a copy of Amélie, a voucher for free puppetry lessons and this album cover. Good luck."

## Personnel

AJR
* Adam Met – bass guitar, vocals
* Jack Met – lead vocals (1–5, 7–12), guitar (tracks 2, 7, 10–12), drums (4 & 5), vocals
* Ryan Met – lead vocals (6), vocals, production, programming
Technical
* Dale Becker – mastering engineer (1–3, 5–7, 9–12)
* Chris Gehringer – mastering engineer (4, 8)
* Joe Zook – mixing engineer (1–3, 5–10, 12)
* Rob Piccione – engineer (1, 3, 5, 7, 9–12)
* Katie Harvey – assistant mastering engineer (1–3, 5–7, 9–12)
* Noah McCorkle – assistant mastering engineer (1–3, 5–7, 9–12)
* Brandon Hernandez – assistant mastering engineer (1, 2, 5–7, 9–12)
Additional musicians
* Rob Piccione – additional vocals (1), backing vocals (3, 8, 10), vocals (4, 5, 7, 9, 12), guitar (6)
* Ruth Kornblatt-Stier – cello (1, 5–7, 10–12)
* Emelia Suljic – violin (1, 5–7, 10–12)
* Arnetta Johnson – trumpet (1, 4, 10, 12)
* Chris Berry – vocals (1), drums (4), backing vocals (8), cello (12)
* Dane Hagen – vocals (1, 5), guitar (5), backing vocals (8)
* Ezra Donellan – vocals (1, 5), backing vocals (3, 8, 10)
* Austin Roa – vocals (1, 5, 12)
* Josh Plotner – woodwinds (1)
* The Beu Sisters – backing vocals (3)
* Kent Lucas – backing vocals (3), vocals (7)
* Ryan Chernin – backing vocals (3, 10)
* Chloe Brettholtz – additional vocals (4)
* Andrew Sobelsohn – guitar, vocals (4); backing vocals (8)
* Martin Lieberman – vocals (4), backing vocals (8)
* Cat Capps – vocals (4), additional vocals (5), backing vocals (8)
* Alba Avoricani – vocals (4), backing vocals (8)
* Honore Balan – vocals (4)
* Nell Balan – vocals (4)
* Ariel Gendler – vocals (5), backing vocals (8)
* Jabari Golding – vocals (5, 12)
* Zachary Murphy – vocals (7, 9)
* Benjamin Hostetler – vocals (7, 9)
* Eugene Mahlstadt – vocals (7)
* Katrina Udle – vocals (7)
* Natasha Bermudez – vocals (7)
* Adam Tomlinson – backing vocals, vocals (10)
* Amanda Wierbowski – backing vocals (10)
* Eric Holloway – vocals (10)
* Naia Lika – additional vocals (12)
* Daniel Cruz – vocals (12)
* Robert Hanley – vocals (12)
* Kevin Grammar – vocals (12)
* Jiliane Russo – vocals (12)
* Sarah Piccione – vocals (12)

## Charts

Chart performance for The Maybe Man :
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
| Australian Hitseekers Albums (ARIA) | 2 |
| UK Album Downloads (OCC) | 41 |
| US Billboard 200 | 28 |
| US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard) | 4 |
| US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard) | 8 |