EP Review: Lost In Maine by Stab

Reviews

20 Jul

Written By Timi

Stab have really nailed the early tumblr-core era of post hardcore, being a teenager in the 2010’s, in your feelings and laying in a bedroom filled with posters from Kerrang! on a spring evening. They fill you with a yearning for a nostalgia you once had. Forming in the summer of last year, Stab have already made a name for themselves. Being scene veterans and formed of members from Headcase, Absolute Suffering and Hard Ca$h, they already have the talent and blueprint to create a New England hardcore masterpiece. We see them really embracing the early 90’s to 2000’s hardcore skater punk. Their ‘Demo’ released last year was to have inspiration pulling from Tony Hawk Underground and they have definitely decided to maintain that inspiration throughout this record. Founder Joe said the idea of Stab came from wanting to create a different vibe compared to the heavier stuff while writing with fellow guitarist Matt March. Joining forces with Nik Coggins on vocals, Griffin Kronemer on bass and Bobby Pettigrew on drums, Stab was born.

They open with a simple, yet dominant Intro. Vocalist Nik has a unique and edgy vocal style that really makes the lyrics more thought provoking and you can already feel the emotion behind it. The lyrics ‘I’m alive but my friends have died too young’ already sets the tone for the rest of the record. Although, only 1 minute and 40 seconds long, it already creates an everlasting memory and you find yourself coming back to it. Most intros to EP’s are often forgotten about, but this is certainly one you will not forget.

Shifting the vibe ever so slightly, Intro leads into the track New England Numb featuring Citizen vocalist Mat Kerekes. As mentioned previously in our singles spotlight in June, this song feels very early Citizen inspired (understandably so) with Mat being a really good addition. This feels like a real singalong, even with the lyrics like ‘Look at the path you’ve led. Ghost in the shell’, Stab once again does an incredible job with diving into deep subject matters, it really seems beyond tongue and cheek and there’s an ongoing theme throughout this record. The juxtaposition with the tonal differences between the upbeat pop punk & post hardcore instrumentals to the dark lyricism following Nik’s personal experiences surprisingly fits well and remains consistent.

Casco St is, in theory, a love song. While feeling more upbeat compared to the rest of nature, it doesn’t feel out of place musically at all. This song was also part of the band's ‘Demo’ released last year, although sounding more refined, it hasn’t lost its raw sound at all. This band's entire aura is solely based on nostalgia and this song is a huge nod to that, with even a slight nod to early The Story So Far or just that genre of teenage tumblr nostalgia. This is another heavy hitting singalong song, you can picture the crowd reaction to this song being performed live and you can definitely tell that this was also something that was considered while writing this song. The energy is chaotic in the right way and you can tell the band has a really good time with this one.

Every band needs that one sit down acoustic song that puts you in your feels, and Nuit does exactly that. Situated smack bang in the middle of the EP, it's an acoustic song filled with nothing but sheer emotion. The vocals are isolated and are carried by the acoustic guitar instrumental. The words, ‘There’s no lying, about a life you had’ really takes you back and gives you a heartbreak that you haven’t experienced yet, while also feeling like you can’t move on. The vocals are strong and you can feel almost every word that is being sung to you. A highlight of this song is the lyrics, ‘Still smiling. The world is trash’ simply because it reigns so true.

Coming back to the hardcore roots this band have already planted, the song V features Josh Hynes from Recollection, Joe Bradshaw's respective band mate and another branch to this band's extensive scene family tree. This is the only song of its kind on this record, having a heavier hardcore vocalist is such a vast difference compared to previous feature Mat Kerekes, but it works in a unique way. The difference in vocals doesn’t take you out of this at all and Nik and Josh harmonize together perfectly. With many two step parts, mic grab moments and stage dives in mind you can really tell this was designed for the hardcore kids.

Releasing the song Rinse in 2025 was just the teaser of what was to come and Stab were just dipping their toes into the water to see what they could do. With subtle nods towards bands like Skinhead, Drug Church and Title Fight, Rinse was inspired by Nik’s personal experience with recovering from his heroin addiction, which we hear with the opening lines ‘30 Gauge to my arm, I don’t feel anything, Shooting up in the car. I’m gonna crash and leave.’ The way this song is performed is different to the usual vocals, it really has more of a heavier punk hardcore theme rather than the ongoing post-hardcore feel. The emotion of this song is a real heavy hitter, and really reminds you of the band's already existing hardcore roots. It is a nod towards hardcore as a whole community and poetry of recovering from drug abuse.

Irish Goodbye was the second single release that came from this EP, and is the respective final song. You could not have written or created a better final song, with the upbeat instrumental and the group singalong parts, this is created with one thing in mind, that being ‘have fun’. Listening to this will give you goosebumps and put a smile on your face. If anything else on this EP didn’t scream nostalgia to you, this most definitely will. Hands down. You can hear the smiles on everybody’s face as they’re singing into the mic, quite literally based on the lyrics ‘Why am I smiling?’. This song is the perfect feeling of how we have all felt during this entire EP, missing the past. Missing the summer nights with a redbull, on a skateboard, just finishing your school exams and looking out into the sunset. The feeling all of us oldheads have yearned to feel for a long time. Alongside the fitting lyrics ‘I’m fucking 30 years old’.

Stab, despite being in the band's infancy, have proven that you can create music you love and still have a good time with it. Already sharing stages with Skinhead, End It, Death Before Dishonor and way more in such a short period shows that everybody is excited for them. This record will make you go through all emotions. With heavy hitting lyrics combined with Tony Hawk nostalgia, with the struggles of growing up, with heartbreak, with recovery. There is something for everyone and anyone. “Lost in Maine” is a perfect example of a record that has it all.

FFO: Skinhead, Drug Church, Tony Hawk Underground, Teenage Nostalgia