Two New Albums Have Maryland-Related Names

Not since Animal Collective’s classic Merriweather Post Pavilion has Maryland gotten such album-title love. Here’s a look at two recent releases with MD monikers and references.

Maryland House by the Crystal Casino Band

Local connection: The DC indie-rock group met while attending George Washington University. Their latest album is named after a rest area on I-95, which is one of their go-to stops while traveling for gigs.

Album art: The cover image features the four-member band posing on the staircase at Maryland House.

Most Maryland track: In reality, the album is more focused on DC than on Maryland. The opening number, “Curfew,” talks about the Capitol insurrection of January 6 from the perspective of locals. Perhaps you can relate to the line “Not gonna lie I’m scared of ya / But I can’t leave this area.”

Maryland rating: 2 out of 5 crabs.

College Park by Logic

Local connection: Before becoming a national star, the Gaithersburg native spent time in College Park writing and recording music. His new album looks back at a day in his life during that period.

Album art: The cover is an homage to the image on his debut album, Under Pressure, while the back features a map of Metro’s Green Line with song titles replacing the station names.

Most Maryland track: “Gaithersburg Freestyle,” featuring Maryland rappers Adé, Big Lenbo, and C Dot Castro and DC’s Fat Trel. There are shout-outs to the 301 area code and, of course, Gaithersburg.

Maryland rating: 4 out of 5 crabs.

This article appears in the April 2023 issue of Washingtonian.

Daniella Byck

Lifestyle Editor

Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in 2022. She was previously with Outside Magazine and lives in Northeast DC.