I remember the first time I heard of the band Mae, who is on the Tooth and Nail roster, when they were going to open the “Be My Valentour” for the punk-rock band Relient K.

Because I was curious to hear them before they played here in LA, I went out and bought their debut, “Destination: Beautiful” on a whim. After the first listening of that album, I realized that I was going to be in for treat. Not only is “Destination: Beautiful” a great album, but it sounds even better live.

Now, Mae is back for a second time around with their highly-anticipated sophomore release, “The Everglow.” There’s good reason to believe that this album was worth the wait. Musically and lyrically, they’ve gone to that next level that any musician/band/artist can only hope to achieve.

“The Everglow” starts out with an introduction track, called “Prologue,” and begins thanking the listener of “The Everglow,” and asks them to complete the experience by opening the booklet that accompanies the compact disc.

I personally thought that this was a little strange at first, but it works. It sets you up for listening to the whole album as if it were a play, and when it’s last track closes with “Epilogue,” things come full circle.

The album’s first song, “We’re So Far Away,” sets the stage for “The Everglow.”

On “We’re so Far Away,” Mae asks, “Did you know what you were doing? Did you know? Did you know how you would move me? Well, I don’t really think so. But the night came down and swept us away. And the stars, they seemed to paint the most elaborate scene to date.” These lyrics set the scene for the journey of “The Everglow,” which is somewhere between self-discovery of who you could be and holding on to what you know or is familiar.

The title track of this album, “The Everglow,” describes that the everglow is a place where something good can take place, like redemption, with “I think that we’ve got what it takes to get this heart start beating again. So take it all the way. Oh, and our hearts are on the Everglow, so just let go and fall into it.”

Mae’s “The Everglow” shows the journey of finding out what the everglow is. It goes through the ups and downs of life with love and self-discovery. “The Everglow” shows growth just like the band has shown over time, and the ups and downs that come with it.