Today host Brad Steiner is joined by AJR for an Audacy Check In to get details about their brand new, fifth studio album, The Maybe Man, arriving today (11/10), as well as the brothers’ just-announced 2024 tour plans to support the release.
LISTEN NOW: Brad's Audacy Check In with AJR
AJR's Adam, Jack, and Ryan Met dropped into the Hard Rock Hotel in New York City to chat with Audacy host Brad Steiner and dive into their recording and creative process this time around, plus fill us in on what they’ve got planned for their tour kicking off in April 2024 on the East Coast.
The creative engine never seems to stop for AJR. “It’s all we know,” says Jack Met. “I guess, if you call it hobbies, it’s really more just work. We just have other stuff we work on. We’re in the middle of writing music for a Broadway show,” he adds, though they’re still in the very beginning stages.
The Maybe Man, however, AJR’s brand new album, is here today. “I think a lot of this album is about being in your late twenties and kind of thinking, ‘What else could I have done with my life? What else could I be, who else could I have ended up with? What other job could I have had?,’ Ryan Met explains. “Just those, all those endless, overwhelming possibilities. ‘Maybe I could have been this, maybe I could have been...’ We wanted to kind of condense it down into this big sad superhero that is ‘The Maybe Man.’” Jack adds, “Because everyone's in that constant state of rethinking their life over and over again. ‘Could this have been different?’ We thought that was just such a relatable concept to touch on.”
Going into some of the album tracks, "This album, we really focused on emotion," says Ryan. "I think that we, we focused more on live instruments, so it was less about, 'Let's create like, production sounds that have never been done before.' That was very 'OK. Orchestra,' that was very our last album. We were less concerned with that this time for whatever reason, just our gut feeling was, 'Let's put a lot of guitars and horns and real drums, and let's make this real instruments and make the lyrics and the emotion about getting to this age and being 'The Maybe Man' forward and front and center.'"
“We had a lot of family stuff happen over the past two years. Unfortunately, our dad did pass a few months ago, and that made its way into the album, Jack explains. “One song was completely dedicated to him, and then it sprinkled throughout the other ones. Then there's some other stuff that happened in our family that's a little, you know, strange and interesting that made its way.”
Dive into more of the album in Brad Steiner's full Audacy Check In with AJR above -- and stay tuned for more conversations with your favorite artists on Audacy.com/Live.
Check out AJR’s newest single, “Yes, I’m a Mess,” above. The Maybe Man, out now, perhaps the group's "most identifiable body of work yet -- coming up with a larger-than-life way to explain the existential crisis of growing up while also processing their father’s passing."
'The Maybe Man,' the title character the band says, "is a big sad superhero who is always questioning who he is. Like a giant out of your favorite fairy tale (remade in kickass 3-D), emotion hangs over his head, so it doesn’t have to hang over yours." Scroll below for the full tracklist.
"Our life dream to be an Arena band has now come true," AJR said announcing their 2024 dates. Ticket pre-sales start Monday, November 13 with the general on-sale beginning on Friday, November 17. See the full list of dates below, and pick up your tickets right HERE.
AJR - The Maybe Man tracklist:
1. Maybe Man
2. Touchy Feely Fool
3. Yes I’m A Mess
4. The Dumb Song
5. Inertia
6. Turning Out Pt. iii
7. Hole In The Bottom of My Brain
8. The DJ is Crying For Help
9. I Won’t
10. Steve’s Going To London
11. God Is Really Real
12. 2085
Listen to AJR Radio and more on the free Audacy app
AJR’s The Maybe Man 2024 tour dates:
Tue-Apr-02-24 - Norfolk, VA - Scope Arena
Wed-Apr-03-24 - Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
Thu-Apr-04-24 - Boston, MA - TD Garden
Sat-Apr-06-24 - Hartford, CT - XL Center
Sun-Apr-07-24 - Baltimore, MD - CFG Bank Arena
Tue-Apr-09-24 - Raleigh, NC - PNC Arena
Wed-Apr-10-24 - Charlotte, NC - Spectrum Center
Fri-Apr-12-24 - Indianapolis, IN - Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Sat-Apr-13-24 - Louisville, KY - KFC Yum! Center
Sun-Apr-14-24 - Grand Rapids, MI - Van Andel Arena
Tue-Apr-16-24 - Des Moines, IA - Wells Fargo Arena
Wed-Apr-17-24 - Minneapolis, MN - Xcel Energy Center
Fri-Apr-19-24 - Kansas City, MO - T-Mobile Center*
Tue-Apr-23-24 - Boise, ID - Idaho Central Arena
Wed-Apr-24-24 - Portland, OR - MODA Center
Fri-Apr-26-24 - Seattle, WA - Climate Pledge Arena
Mon-Apr-29-24 - San Francisco, CA - Chase Center
Wed-May-01-24 - San Diego, CA - Pechanga Arena*
Sat-May-04-24 - Oklahoma City, OK - Paycom Center
Tue-May-07-24 - Austin, TX - Moody Center
Thu-May-09-24 - Tampa, FL - Amalie Arena
Fri-May-10-24 - Orlando, FL - Amway Center
Sun-May-12-24 - Jacksonville, FL - VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena
Tue-Jun-25-24 - Pittsburgh, PA - PPG Paints Arena
Thu-Jun-27-24 - Cleveland, OH - Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse*
Fri-Jun-28-24 - Columbus, OH - Nationwide Arena
Sat-Jun-29-24 - Rosemont, IL - Allstate Arena
Sun-Jun-30-24 - Detroit, MI - Little Caesars Arena
Sun-Jul-04-24 - Milwaukee, WI - American Family Ins. Amp. (Summerfest)*^
Sat-Jul-06-24 - St Louis, MO - Enterprise Center
Tue-Jul-09-24 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center*
Wed-Jul-10-24 - Fort Worth, TX - Dickies Arena
Fri-Jul-12-24 - Phoenix, AZ - Footprint Center
Sun-Jul-14-24 - Los Angeles, CA - Kia Forum
Tue-Jul-16-24 - Salt Lake City, UT - Delta Center*
Thu-Jul-18-24 - Denver, CO - Ball Arena
Sun-Jul-21-24 - Omaha, NE - CHI Health Center
Tue-Jul-23-24 - Cincinnati, OH - Heritage Bank Center
Thu-Jul-25-24 - Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center*
Fri-Jul-26-24 - New York City, NY - Madison Square Garden
Tue-Jul-30-24 - Atlanta, GA - State Farm Arena
Wed-Jul-31-24 - Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
Fri-Aug-02-24 - Washington DC - Capitol One Arena
* - Verizon Up Presale not available
^ - Non-LiveNation date