REVIEW: Maroon 5 New Single 'Maps' From 'V' Echoes 'Payphone' In All The Wrong Ways

The song begins with an easy, breezy guitar rift and Levine's signature high register vocals lamenting a relationship lost, despite his beau and his plans to draw out their life together. With his singsong melody over the relaxed, plucked guitars and subtle drums, Maroon 5 create a chill vibe before building the song into something a bit more powerful.

Though Levine's vocals remain constant, the song soon crescendos into a fuller sound, with a chorus that isn't so much explosive as it is, well, danceable. Though there's no exact bass drop per se, the chorus of "Maps" just begs for some sort of EDM remix (which is surely forthcoming) as it jives and grooves with heavier guitar licks and a chorus of "yooooUUUU" that is just ridiculously repetitive and infectious, despite itself.

"Maps" is trying to pull from the formula of Overexposed single "Payphone," blending together hopeful, lost love lyrics based on a forgotten form of navigation/communication with a semi-touching beat that also plays into the modern pop trend of dance music. The more you think about the two lead singles versus each other, the more they feel the exact same, which is sort of a cheap ploy, but hey, whatever works for the band.

Listen to Maroon 5's new single "Maps" below:

"Maps" is the lead single from Maroon 5's new album V, which the band announced last month. The band's first album since its 2012 smash Overexposed is due to hit stores on Sept. 2.

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Maroon 5