Maroon 5 is an ageless American pop band. When I think of them, I think of 15-year-old me jamming out to “Moves Like Jagger” or my dad dancing to “Sunday Morning.” That’s the power of Maroon 5.

They aren’t just your average pop band. They might’ve been at some point in their career, but lately they’re blowing me away with each new release. The group recently released a track called “Whiskey” that features rapper A$AP Rocky. It’s from the band’s upcoming fifth studio LP record, “Pill Blues,” which is set to be released Nov. 3.

The song was unfortunately leaked onto SoundCloud two days before its intended release.

“I never knew that love was blind/ ‘till I was hers / but she was never mine,” Levine sings. “Yeah I was reckless / but I let it burn.”

Although the song is about heartbreak, like some of the group’s other songs, this track is slow and takes Maroon 5’s music to another level.

The new album includes contributions from artists in varying genres, in addition to A$AP Rocky. The band collaborates with pop artists, such as Julia Michaels; alternative R&B artists, like SZA in “What Lovers Do;” and rappers, such as Kendrick Lamar in “Don’t Wanna Know” and Future in “Cold.” Not many artists can successfully collaborate with this kind of variety of genres.

At the end of the day, most artists have some sort of album cycle to release an album every two years or so. This helps build fan excitement and anticipation, which usually contributes to the album’s success.

While Maroon 5 has the album cycle down, they’re often featured on a track or release a single of some sort. I can’t remember the last time I went three months without hearing a new track with Maroon 5 in it.

The thing that most notable artists do is release an album, do a tour and then go M.I.A. for the next two years. It’s seen in artists like Kanye West, Jay Z and Taylor Swift. They release an album after being off the radar for years, and the album becomes widely popular because it’s the first time fans are hearing their favorite artists in such a long time.

Taylor Swift released “1989” in 2014 and went missing for three years until she dramatically unveiled “Reputation.” People were legitimately asking where she had gone because she unusually hadn’t been involved with any drama, and she hadn’t released any other music.

When she started releasing singles from “Reputation,” people went wild. I personally don’t like the album’s singles so far, but I still found myself getting excited over seeing her name again in the news.

Maroon 5 doesn’t need that gap to get fans excited over their music. People are never wondering, “Oh, where has Maroon 5 been these days?” because the group is always on the radar. They’re one of the most prolific bands in the industry, with five studio albums and an impressive top charts history that is only growing day by day.

The times are changing. Pop music is evolving, and Maroon 5 has been on top of this change.

Phoebe Smith is a senior public relations major. Her column appears biweekly in Pulp. You can email her at phsmith@syr.edu or follow her on Twitter @phoebesmithh5.

Published on October 25, 2017 at 1:15 am