Maxwell Avenue are a Birmingham-based four-piece playing pop rock inspired by artists like Blink-182, McFly, and Green Day. Their debut single Chevy ‘69, which was released in 2019, mixed their slick pop sound with Chuck Berry-inspired traditional rock ‘n’ roll. “Chevy ‘69” was inspired by the film Back to the Future, and condenses all of that film’s sense of fun and energy into a three minute burst full of memorable hooks and ‘60s lyrical references.
Maxwell Avenue’s debut EP, Happily Never After, centres around the story of two teenagers falling in love. The band were initially planning to release Happily Never After earlier this year, but the coronavirus outbreak put a halt to their plans, and the EP is now due later this year, and set to feature both “Chevy ‘69” and new single “The Last Dance (Orchestral Version”.
“The Last Dance (Orchestral Version)” is much more pop ballad than rock ‘n’ roll pastiche, the vocal style and plaintive yet euphoric melody evoking The 1975 as much as Blink-182’s slower songs. A repeating motif that is doubled on piano and then guitar underpins the track underneath swelling layers of strings and synth inflections. The Last Dance is bursting with heart-on-sleeve, technicolor romanticism and infectious melody, and shows a new maturity and depth while keeping their previous single’s sense of youthful energy. While the pandemic left the band unable to record a “proper” music video for this track, they managed to produce a charming makeshift video comprised of clips of the four band members (Ben, Jake, Sam, and Tom) performing the song in their respective homes – as well as indulging in a spot of Freddie Mercury-inspired drag! If these two singles are anything to go by, Happily Never After looks like a great collection of tracks worth looking forward to! We can’t wait to hear more from Maxwell Avenue when all of this is over!
By: Dan Knight