Back together for the first time in 17 years – and Manchester band The Maple State celebrate their reunion with Don’t Take Forever – an album that reflects upon lost time, personal growth and the enduring power of friendship.
Release Date: 7th November 2025
Label: Self-Release
Formats: Vinyl, Digital
THAT’S THAT – OR IS IT?
Manchester band, The Maple State – big faves of Mark Hoppus (Blink 182) and Matty Healy (The 1975) – disbanded in 2008, after releasing a couple of EPs and a highly-regarded album, At Least Until We’ve Settled (2005). And that was that. Except, it now transpires that ‘That’ wasn’t ‘That’ after all. Because, now, 17 years on from that seemingly final dissolution, The Maple State are back with a brand new album, Don’t Take Forever – and it’s a doozie!
Not only are The Maple State back – they’re back with their original lineup of Greg Counsell (bass & vocals), William Pearson (keyboards), Christian Counsell (guitar & vocals) and John Goodwin (drums). And, as if to prove the point that there’s no such thing as ‘never,’ the band are back with a collection of songs that reflect upon lost time, personal growth and, significantly, the enduring power of friendship.
The album’s title, taken from a line in one of the new songs, is both literal and ironic, acknowledging as it does both the long years of hiatus and the urgency and clarity that took shape during the new album’s long period of gestation.
HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE BACK?
So: why come back now? Frontman Greg has a few thoughts with regard to that particular question: “A recurring theme is the idea that you’re not locked into any one path. You can choose what to do with your life, no matter where you find yourself but it’s only you that can change things. Time just flies by. The four of us split in 2008 and it’s taken this long to get back together but, as soon as we started up again, it felt like no time had passed. I was thinking about all those years in between, the thought that we’d ever be here again never crossed my mind, but the only thing in the way of it was ourselves. Why did we take that long to realise it?”
Greg’s brother Christian also had something to say regarding how it feels to be, finally, back together: “I feel that there’s an incredibly special and rare relationship between us. Where are we now? We’re together! It’s taken some time but that’s all part of the journey. I feel we’re in the best place we could be together. There’s a confidence in our friendship and musicianship right now that I don’t think we’ve felt before in this band.”
The idea for the band’s reformation actually came about during lockdown, when Greg found himself revisiting some of the band’s old material that Christian had dug out. The idea snowballed from there – and here we are!
UPLIFTING… AND SLIGHTLY DISTURBING
A sedate, even rather grand, piano intro and a sweet, calming vocal from Greg lulls the listener into the falsest possible sense of security, before opening track Winner Part II explodes into a joyous barrage of light, jangly, power pop. The guitars riff and John’s drums keep up a solid fusillade of firepower as Greg splutters out his lyrics for three minutes of invigorating punky anguish.
Lead single, Zero Days Since Last Incident was inspired by a mental health crisis that Greg suffered during a work conference. The crisis culminated with Greg diving into the sea. Looking back, Greg now describes the song as “…the first proper Maple State song that he’d written in years.” William’s swirling organ underpins the rattling drums and the bright guitars and there’s real pain in Greg’s voice as he recollects that dark period, with lyrics like: “I still wake up, cold sweat, nauseous. When will I get better? You now lay in your bed, restless, reaching for my old sweater.” It’s a song that manages to be both uplifting and slightly disturbing at the same time.
NO DOUBTING THE SINCERITY
Greg’s voice is more restrained, and there’s a lot less obvious drama in the slow-building Settle Down. But, take a peek beneath the surface and lyrics like: “I’ll settle down, I’ll stick around, or this will all end just like before – and I’ll be out there, a lost soul,” demonstrate that the anguish is undiminished. And, still, the band surge along with relentless energy, right up until the song’s anthemic ending.
There’s no doubting the sincerity that The Maple State bring to their music and that’s particularly evident in the epic Better Than Before, one of the album’s true highlights. After a quiet, almost pastoral opening, with Gregg singing softly to the accompaniment of a strummed guitar, the intensity is cranked right up. It’s an introspective song, but there’s also hope being expressed in lyrics like: “…You know, we’ve got this dream. It’s not yet dead – it’s been rattling around for years in our heads, fuelled by hope and shaped with time.”
THE ROUTE FROM DESPAIR TO RECOVERY
Anguish and joy are almost indistinguishable in the tight, upbeat No Time to Waste. It’s a song of escape, and John’s drums keep up their unremitting pace as Christian’s guitar jangles and chimes and Greg’s loping bass provides a solid foundation for his quickfire lyrics.
The form and structure of Dead Beneath the Stars – particularly John’s quasi-military drumbeat and the bagpipe tones from Christian’s guitar – put me in mind of The Pogues, circa Rum, Sodomy and the Lash, before things are pared right back for the folky Willow. It’s one of several songs that explore the route from despair to recovery and, Christian’s acoustic guitar and Greg’s tender vocals are both wonderfully restrained. The song’s bittersweet lyrics describe a short period of rural bliss that ends all too abruptly.
CALM, DREAMY AND MELODIC
And we retain the gentle frame of mind for There’s Always Money in the Banana Stand, the album’s longest track and, in many ways, its atypical centrepiece. This time, the structure and content of the song – including the vocal harmonies and the exploratory instrumental passages recall Crosby, Stills and Nash. It’s calm, it’s dreamy and it’s melodic, especially during the extended instrumental coda.
Winner Part II (Reprise) is a 30-second rerun of the stately piano passage that opened the album, before chiming guitars and more of John’s crisp drumfills provide the power behind closing track, Vacancy. It’s a confessional song with echoes of Warren Zevon; tuneful, engaging and a nice way to round off a fascinating and varied album.
Welcome back, The Maple State!
Watch the official video to Zero Days Since Last Incident – the album’s lead single – below:
The Maple State online: Facebook / Instagram / YouTube / Bandcamp
Keep up with At The Barrier: Facebook / Instagram / Spotify / YouTube