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The members of the Maine have played music throughout their teens, but were only together for a year before they were picked up by Fearless Records. Apparently, a year is long enough, too, for buzz about the group to earn them hot shot debut honors on the Top Heatseekers chart, bowing at No. 10 a couple weeks ago with "The Way We Talk" EP. The set also made it No. 45 on Top Independent Albums.

"I can't really pinpoint an exact measure we took to get here. I guess it was just hard work," says vocalist John O'Callaghan. He admits that touring could hardly be considered part of the success: with exception to 30 days of performing last summer, the five teens were constrained to their hometown of Tempe, Ariz., to finish high school or wait for others to finish whilst attending classes at Arizona State.

The Maine has, however, garnered a devoted following via MySpace, which was helped along by the pop-punk band's connection to fans. "On MySpace, you can either join it and coast or do something else that causes heads to turn," O'Callaghan says. "So we were responding back to every single comment and message people sent. It made an interpersonal connection that I think a lot of people like." Armed with cameras and video recorders, the Maine has also gone the extra mile to document day-to-day happenings on the road and in the studio.

As for the latter, the quintet is putting on the finishing touches on their premiere full-length, produced by Matt Squire (Cute Is What We Aim For, All Time Lows, Boys Like Girls) for release later this year. "I think we're going in a poppier direction than the EP right now, O'Callaghan adds. "It'll be a little more dressed-up." The Maine is also currently forming plans for a five-week spring tour with Just Surrender and Lorene Drive to try out tracks from the as-yet-unnamed effort.