Max's Music Mondays with Chitra and Native Son
I finished writing this before 12am ET I swear!!!! Either way these two songs rock.
Welcome to Max’s Music Mondays - a ~music discovery newsletter~ where I get too excited about songs I love. I hope you love them too. If you do, follow along on spotify and please be sure to absolute smash that dang subscribe button! tysm :)
It’s Max’s Music Mondays after dark!! What does that mean? Mostly that I had a very busy week/weekend/day and still had a little writing to do come this evening. But it was busy with so much good stuff and so much good life. A lot of inspiration flowing through and making me want to make this better and better every week which also means it takes longer which also means I’ll procrastinate a bit more too… And here we are, sun is down from coast to coast and I’m still here deciding which dumb metaphor about this song to use (is it more like a carnival or the titanic but in a good way??).
But that’s ok!! Sometimes things take time, but like the philosophers have always said, “better late than never”. And I’m content being late this time. Treating myself to a little Huell Howser break (Huell heads please pop off in the chat!!!) That’s calming me down and centering me as we come down the creative home stretch. Which is of course, what good music can do too. And I think this week’s songs could very well do the trick.
But I know none of y’all care about ~the process~. So I’ll be brief. The year is coming to a quick end, all of the sudden people are packing up and heading home for the holidays, and moods and energies of places are changing too. And when they return, it’s never quite the same. The same people, sure, but the new year brings a different intention. A clean start, a time to finally make some change, conscious or not, it just happens. It’s exciting, a jump of change amidst a long year where not too much has. And sure you could just embrace that change today, but there’s so much good holiday time left to savor and I refuse to skip that part!! And part of that time is gifts and these two songs are gifts (whew pulled it off).
This Week’s Songs
Please please follow along here ^^ for this week’s and every week’s songs. They’re all really good I swear!!! <3 Please like and enjoy and send to someone you like and enjoy!!
Chitra - Give Up
The most inviting intro in the world. Whole band jamming, a cheeky riff, that subtle snare roll showing off some immediate brilliance. This section with a mellow measure and then a boisterous one, hooking me so deep. It’s unforgettable and it’s only been ten seconds. But once the verse starts it manages gets better??? Over quiet chords, Chitra lays down some context for the story, meeting them in the aftermath of a relationship, the disappointment and anger bubbling under the surface. Chitra’s tone here is just so stunning. That little run from 0:12 to 0:14ish, the “take some more steps behind” seeing her dipping low and reaching high, smooth and impressive the whole way through. Tiny flairs in the run that really caught me. After these first few lines, the drums punch back in. This pre-chorus is so good, somehow manages to give you everything you want, even when they hold something back. It’s an incredible moment, an unshakable groove, delightful attitude in the lyrics and delivery, the momentum growing and growing, and that last touch - extra patient with the final line for one juicy moment, so dang satisfying. A simple statement with so much power. It throws us back to that intro arrangement, the back and forth between measures hitting even harder as a celebration of letting go and moving on. Still too short though. A second verse, with no-bullshit lyrics, it just sounds like someone shaking their head and rolling their eyes. Another pre-chorus has me so excited for that last line and the payoff is gold again. In a beautiful twist, the song dials way back - some oh’s and ah’s building over guitar, and then each other, then more guitars, and then more each others, and finally some drums and no one can hold back anymore. The whole song breaking free at 2:07, the vocals soaring - seeming to slide back and forth between the pain and the acceptance. The drummer is really going off too, and a guitarist forging new paths through to the end of the song. And by the end, everyone is out of energy, exhausted by the whole situation - emotionally (the story) and physically (the act of delivering QUITE a tune) - and you can’t blame them for either.
Follow Chitra on IG / Spotify
Native Son - Ctrl Freak
Great freaking title, huh? I know this is classic me to say something this dumb and specific but the three seconds of this song are so good ahahaha Here I am blasting this at full volume digging and digging for the perfect song to write about. I click play, that quiiiiet little fuzz starts - someone turning on an amp. My gullible ass cranks the volume a liiiiiitle more only to be blown out of my chair by the guitar sliding in, drums hammering away. And then me smashing the volume down key as fast as I can. And then me turning it back up because this song rocks and I love it. No time wasted, the bass and vocals coming in hot too. I love Native Son’s voice, given the ever-so-slight megaphone-esque fuzz. It’s charming. That bass just pops so hard, you might not even catch Native Son dropping “Ted Talk” in his lyrics, but it’s too fun not too mention. Some quiet vocal layers keep so much texture even when the drums drop out right after. Coming back with a heavy and rough bass and some much more noticeable bgv’s. The melody is so catchy, that layer in falsetto and also straying from the melody in the most perfect ways imaginable. The “booming through the speakers” lyric throws another guitar our way, chiming in to cue the chorus. It’s a head-knocking, fast-paced track and there’s no signs of slowing down. Hey there’s even a Christmas lyric!! Ok relevant content!! Even when the chorus closes out and band steps back, the drummer says “no!! I’m not stopping” and my head agrees - bopping all the way through the verse. I really like this verse too (unsurprisingly I guess). Those first few bars seeming to dance, the flow feeling so effortless. But lost in the energy is something important - Native Son has some pipes!!! Right at 1:17 you get a glimpse - “all the big times / got a short fuse” shining with just a teeny tiny vibrato at the tail end of each. Wonderful stuff. It’s not long until the pre-chorus whips up again, so many pieces of the puzzle coming together just right. It’s a beautiful moment. Another chorus feels more mellow with that bright guitar and some more vocals. And before you know it, it’s done. Disappeared just as fast as it arrived. It’s the kind of song that grabs you and never lets you go, angry at you for even trying as it drags you through for another listen. But lucky for you, every time you listen, it rocks. Another ripper, I can’t stop repeating.
Follow Native Son on IG / Spotify
That’s it and that’s all. Already gathering some special tunes for Friday, I can’t wait to see you there.
In the meantime, you know the dang deal. Please share! Please tell a friend!! I love this lil world so much and but still get embarrassed posting about it as much as I do! So every time you share/send around it really does mean the world. One less IG story to agonize over. And at the end of the day, the more people listening the more help we can be to the artists I love <3 what a dream.
OK NOW GET TO BED!! NO TV!!
Max