Mike Mains and the Branches may have released one of the quintessential indie rock records of 2014.

Calm Down, Everything is Fine takes everything the band is good at and moves it up a notch. Another reviewer said (paraphrasing) that this album just feels more complete and satisfying than Home, a solid record in and of itself.

The band garnered momentum around three years ago when snippets of music from Mains and company began to make their way around the smaller blogs online. Then, “Stereo” and “Miracle” became moderate indie rock hits on radio. The band became a beacon of grown-up alternative rock in a sea of Skillet and Thousand Foot Krutch copycats in Christian rock radio, as well as gaining legitimacy in the minds of fans who like to traverse the underground music circuit – but not all the way across the figurative pretentious line of attitude set by websites like Pitchfork.

Many have said to me that this band is one that is surprisingly intense and energetic live. This energy is palpable in the recordings. The somewhat caddywhompus  way in which Mains delivers his lines is such that one can picture the passion and semi-crazed facial expressions that must happen when he performs. Even the more somber tunes like “Where Love Dies” carry this trait, along with an underlying hopeful tone that is evident in the melody. The album reaches two sunny pinnacles on “Burn” and “In the Night” (ironic choice of a word descriptor, eh?) – don’t miss these. Singles “Noises” and “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” are solid in their own right, but as is the case with many records the gems are the deep album cuts.

Calm Down, Everything Is Fine is indeed a fine album. It may calm your concerns about a sophomore slump, but you need not remain subdued throughout the duration of your listens.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHU-2FMpIlU&h=297&w=450]

Score: 4/5

Check out Mike Mains and the Branches on Facebook. Buy the record on Amazon.