Maxband

Maxband, a project fronted by Parquet Courts drummer Max Savage, release their debut album this April on UK band Sports Team's Holm Front Records.

‘On Ice,’ produced and mixed by Jonny Schenke, picks up where breakthrough EP ‘Top of the Stairs’ left off across 12 tracks of direct, hook-laden indie rock — at times recalling New York luminaries The Strokes but also dipping into murkier waters. The sardonic ‘Rich Man’ brings to mind the best of early Weezer, while the duelling lead guitars in ‘Lines’ (clocking in at nearly 6-minutes) would surely have elicited a nod of approval from even Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd of Television.

“The songwriting has matured, both lyrically and instrumentally,” says Savage, who admits he would have “gone crazy” without the outlet of writing. “We’re a much tighter band now, and we’ve improved as musicians individually. Everyone’s voices can be heard on this record, and our winsome personalities are reflected in each song.”

Savage isn't merely paying lip service to a rehearsal room democracy. All four members of the Brooklyn quartet — completed by Patrick J Smith of A Beacon School, drummer Eric Read and lead guitarist Tim Nelson — assume the role of lead singer on at least one song over the course of On Ice’s 41-minute run-time.

A taste of the forthcoming album is available now in the form of lead single ‘Nothing’s Changed’ — a track brimming with the kind of stylistic contrasts that make this group stand out. Savage, for his part, steps out from behind the kit to assume rhythm guitar and vocal duties. While his raw, punk delivery might remind Parquet Courts fans of elder brother Andrew, the dreamier contributions of co-vocalist Smith take the song somewhere else entirely and ensure Maxband are very much their own proposition.

Maxband will commemorate the impending album with a full American tour, before making their way across the pond to the UK for the first time.

It's the first full-length to be released on the Holm Front imprint, previously home to the likes of Dutch collective Personal Trainer, Scotland’s Walt Disco and rising London post-rock group, Ugly.

“We’re in great company,” says Savage. “It’s an honour and a privilege to be working with Holm Front again. We are hoping this year brings us more exposure to unfamiliar ears.”


Previous praise for Maxband:

“An indie rock dream” — The Fader

“Exceedingly pretty post-punk with a metronomic pulse straight out of an early Strokes record” — Stereogum

“Imbued with an effortless confidence” — Paste Magazine

“Delightfully direct” — So Young Magazine

“Instantly gratifying, hook-filled indie rock” — Under the Radar Magazine

“What is remarkable is when the different personalities that make up Maxband collide" - Binaural