They Call Me Max’s emotionally charged EP Start Small signals a big shift from electronic-based production towards a sound centred on piano compositions. Listening to the EP, it sounds like a shift in the right direction.
Start Small plays host to intimate lyrical narratives, which are delivered in a type of slow, stripped back hip-hop. Sitting somewhere between jazz, classical, and hip hop, the EP lends the piano control of melodies, with the vocals flattened around it. The result is really dynamic – drawing attention specifically to each narrative, serving smooth-as-honey jazz all at once.
They Call Me Max’s debut EP is uncompromising. Pulling at every heartstring in all its lyrical fervour, Start Small takes a deep dive into the trials of growing up, subverting genres and melding themes in doing so.
Start Small is an autobiographical exploration into the soaring highs, crushing lows and murky reflections of adolescence. Confronting his own experiences of love, hate, family, relationships, self-harm and bullying They Call Me Max delivers an honest, cathartic look into his journey, whilst also aiming to help those who may be facing similar hardship.
Set in London, the EP condenses all the trials and complexities of growing up in the 21st century to an experimental five-track EP with a philosophical edge.
Hauntingly stripped and rife with emotion, Start Small is utterly raw – pulling at every heartstring in all its lyrical fervour. If you feel like going deep, reflecting, and maybe crying a little bit, this is the EP for you. You can find it below:
