Releasing his debut single via Mango Wax Records, Maximilian reckons with an isolation of his own making, reconstituting familiar 90s alt-rock influences for the modern day.

Maximilian is another green shoot emerging from the harlequin undergrowth that enriches Brighton’s ever-flourishing music scene. The Jersey-born singer-songwriter bears petals that lilt with a drowsy, introspective longing on his debut single ‘For Now’. His music confirms a self-professed adoration for the 90s indie/alt-rock staples that continue to lay the creative foundations for many sparky, angst-plagued youths. With this debut release, Maximilian makes clear his artistic venerations without emulating any one facet too closely. 

In gentle motions, buttery guitar jangles slather into spongy slices of lyrical anguish that, in their reference to social isolation and self-doubt, echo the thematic sentiments of grunge. The sound here, however, subverts the coarse, sludgy depths that so often girdle this genre. ‘For Now’ comes through much cleaner, with more of an indie folk sound taking hold where ambling rhythms loosen under lush, drawling harmonies.

Verses rouse familiar breaths of a soft autumnal breeze; like leaves in shades of umber, Maximilian’s double tracked vocal laments waft tentatively over damp concretes of trotting four-on-the-floor bass, underpinned by swung drumbeats marked by their understated simplicity. The production on all elements is sparse, creating a largely unembellished sound that might mimic a live performance in an intimate venue setting. ‘For Now’ really hits its stride in the choruses; a thick dulcet warmth emanates from the bewitchingly soupy backing harmonies, encircled by a jagged clay structure of silvery guitar noodles. Further warmed by the lead vocals’ firmly cupping hands, (with occasional Jeff Buckley-esque inflections), the resulting compound cultivates a bracing familiarity that makes for a highly enjoyable, captivating debut.