Words by: Chloe Burrows-Bryan
From country to city, acoustic to electronic guitar, Max Alexander is certainly one to watch over these coming months… With the warm summer nights being more promising as lockdown is eases, Max’s latest single Stay Where You Are is that encapsulation the last few months for all of us in Max’s quintessential song title.
To set the tone, we are introduced by glorious synths, gritty guitar chords and a dominant guitar riff which rises in dynamic throughout the track. Straight away, the song’s verse gave me a Tame Impala kind of vibe, with the electrifying drum pattern and sexy guitar; which I love.
The synth of the track accompanies the melody and vocal pattern perfectly! The instrumentation comes in great numbers in the chorus to connote the feeling of fulfilment and is diminished to a delightful melody from the piano. The vocal melody and harmonies are astounding and illustrate the song incredibly well.
The track as a whole delves into the iconic 80s era. With its stunning synth and electronic guitar sounds, making it distinguished and cemented throughout. Max implements the alternative electronic genre firmly into the tracks’ identity and produces a great balance of the elements of folk, acoustic and electronic vibes.
When creating the song’s theme, Max states:
“Stay Where You Are is about being there for that someone you love, and being there for yourself. It’s written about a recent break up, and also about mental health, combining the two from past experiences.”
This is purely exhibited in the structure of the song, and the perfect placement of the instrumentation connotes the idea of a rollercoaster of stages a couple may experience during a relationship. The constant repetition of the lyrics ‘Stay away from the light, make it through the night’ brings a sense of control and paints a honest view of mental health… knowing that you have to fight those inner demons one day.
Max demonstrates his fantastic artistry with this track and the year for extraordinary music from him looks very promising. We here at Whisper can not wait to hear more!
‘Stay Where You Are’ is out now!
Instagram: @maxalexandermusic
Listen to the track here: Stay Where You Are