Max MacLaury - “Hard Times”
Admittedly, when an artist mentions Gregory Alan Isakov in the pitch, we press play with unreasonably high expectations, as Isakov is the yard stick by which we measure most of the folk songs that pass through our stack of submissions. So when we received the new tune from Max MacLaury, we were fully prepared to hate it, but this dude has completely blown us away with “Hard Times.”
Pressing play invites the listener into a fairly lengthy intro that lends the opportunity to prepare for one hell of a mesmerizing vocal performance– because when MacLaury begins his gentle, crooning serenade, it quickly consumes every bit of you, leaving you no choice but to immediately make room for this song in your list of favorites. We’re detecting a reasonably substantial Lord Huron vibe here as well, with the sweet and tender rolls of reverberating mellotron-tinged guitar chords, and the song’s delicate, churning rhythm. This is definitely one for those late-night drives to nowhere– an exquisite soundtrack to pondering one’s very existence.
And just when you think you’ve had your fill, “Hard Times” delivers some outstanding layers of backing vocals, first in small tastes on the refrain, then arriving in buckets on the middle eight. The guitar lead on the final stretch of the tune is slightly reminiscent to all of your favorite songs from Mazzy Star and we are finding it harder and harder to believe that this band is not yet a household name. And for a song that nears five minutes in length, do not be surprised if it’s over much sooner than you anticipated, as this one takes you for one of those emotional rides that you never want to end. For this reason, we’ll be spinning “Hard Times” on a loop until we have memorized every last nook and cranny.
“Hard Times” is the third single from Max MacLaury’s upcoming LP. And if you’re curious about the first two, we aim to please:
In both “Leave” and “Deciduousness,” you will find the same, rich and robust arrangements, with topnotch production. What we’ve found most interesting with MacLaury’s work is its ability to meet all sonic prerequisites with its mastering, yet it still manages not to sound overproduced or too commercially polished. Everything we’ve heard sounds exactly the way it should and will absolutely leave you wanting more. This will definitely not be the last time we feature Max MacLaury on the blog.
-HD