New Orleans-based songwriter Max Bien-Kahn extends a tender version of himself in his 2019 single “Please Hold on”, which invites even the unfamiliar listener to feel like a passenger on an intimate journey.
His songwriting project, Max and the Martians, released the song as the A-side of a 7” single in 2019. The lyrics are powerful and full of warmth as they express the desire we share to care for our loved ones before they are gone. His voice has a melancholy yet restorative tone, through which he is able to “be a flash of light” for the weathered mind of his dear subject. The simple lead in from guitarist Ross Farbe creates a feeling that is settled and later complemented by laid back instrumentals and mystical harmonies from vocalist Carver Baronda. Together, they blend to create a soft, spacious, and deeply communal song.
In contrast to the sentimentality of “Please Hold On”, the alternate side with the release titled “Love on Vacation” provides a more euphoric, beach-rock feel that seems akin to the spirit that led The Kinks to dream up “Waterloo Sunset”. The single is also a unique departure from some of the band’s other releases, including their intoxicating 2019 Curtains EP, which has more of a country-pop beat.
Next up for the band will be their new LP All the Same, coming out March 2021 on Perpetual Doom Records. The band has released an “All the Same” music video with playful, psychedelic, Willy Wonka-like visuals that is a worthwhile watch in anticipation. The band has said that this album will be an “amalgam of jangly, hazy, upbeat, dreamy songs that tell a story of love, loss, and personal change over the course of ten tracks.”
Whatever the array of sounds may be, their next release will certainly be one that reaches the heart and makes you feel good on the way there.
