The Main Thing

The Main Thing is the fifth studio album by the American indie rock band Real Estate, released on February 28, 2020 on Domino Records. The album was produced by Kevin McMahon, who had previously worked with the band on their second album, Days (2011). The album's release was preceded by the singles, "Paper Cup" and "The Main Thing". Background Primary songwriter Martin Courtney began writing The Main Thing while touring in support of the band's previous album, In Mind, in 2017. During the process, Courtney initially had anxieties about whether Real Estate should continue: "My wife was pregnant through a lot of the process of writing this record. So, just on the level of, is this a responsible thing to do, to be a guy in an indie-rock band. I was really struggling with that, and also feeling like, the world is kind of in a bad state." Courtney's love of being a member of the band ultimately led him to continue working on new material: "Maybe it’s better to set an example to do what you love for those around you. That was something that I found kind of inspiring." As a result, the band entered the studio with a renewed sense of focus: "We knew we’d been a band for ten years, and this is our fifth record, and it kind of felt almost like do or die."