Max Bemis has a new project, Maxim Mental. It’s a huge departure from Say Anything, well at least the Say Anything most people enjoy. There are elements found in some of the later Say Anything albums. This EP was about as under the radar as you can get, especially considering it’s from one of the more high profile frontmen in this scene. When the official Record Store Day (RSD) release list comes out I typically scour it pretty thoroughly. For example, I check out the track listing for all the comps and soundtracks to see if there is anything of interest to me on them. But sometimes releases slip through the cracks, and this record is one of them.
As far as I can tell there was very little promotion for this EP. Admittedly, I’ve pretty much spaced on following the social media pages of the involved parties. I actually stopped following Say Anything because they are no longer an active band, never bothered to follow Max Bemis, and stopped following Dine Alone Records because up until now their roster doesn’t have anything left to press of interest to me. I had no idea Max was up to anything. So when the RSD list came out I just skimmed over Maxim Mental as I was not looking for anything by that artist/band.
Eventually I discovered that Max had this new project, but by the time I did it was after RSD. So when I placed my online order for the few releases I wanted this year, this was not part of it. Initially I was kicking myself; not because I wouldn’t be able to score a copy, but because I’d likely have to pay more for it by not including it in a larger order that qualified for free shipping. In the long run I won out, as I bought a copy for $14 shipped. Retail price on this was around $20, with plenty of stores charging more than that.
For whatever reason, the official RSD list does not have the pressing info listed for this EP, despite it being printed on the hype sticker. There were 1,000 copies pressed on pink vinyl with an etched b-side. So obviously this is a single sided 12”. It comes housed in a picture disc sleeve, which I despise. It’s one thing for a picture disc to come in a picture disc sleeve (still not a fan of that), but it’s inexcusable for a record that is not a picture disc to come in a picture disc sleeve. This is a RSD first release, implying that it may be re-pressed in the future, or even have a different variant be released in the immediate days or weeks after RSD. Considering there is already a full length album coming out, I have my doubts the label will re-press this EP, especially considering how poorly it sold.
With that said, yes the label sold this entire pressing, but that is only due to the fact it was an RSD release. RSD releases can’t be returned to distributors, which is one of the faults of RSD. Indie record stores are stuck with tons of unsold releases that they eventually have to take a large loss on in order to clear them from their inventory. Which is how I was able to get a copy for $10 before shipping; which is essentially 50% off. So even though this RSD pressing is marked sold out in the books for the Dine Alone, I’m sure they’re well aware that this EP is in clearance bins only a few months after RSD.
Stitches and Grooves 