Max's Music Mondays with Farrah Hanna and jessa
Couldn't imagine a better combo to kick off the week and the new MMM era.
Welcome to Max’s Music Mondays. My ~music discovery newsletter~ where I get too excited about songs I love. I hope you love them too. If you do, you can follow along on spotify and please be sure to absolute smash that dang subscribe button! tysm :) Your paid subscriptions go towards supporting the artists you read about here too!! That’s right(!!), the artists who made This Weeks Songs are getting paid!! <3
Ok wow that rocked. After months of (seriously) considering/planning/dreaming, I launched the paid subscription tier last week and y’all came through!! Not only did we gain our first group of paid supporters (god bless ya and thank you so much), but we also grew free subscribers by almost 15%. I’m feeling so excited, rejuvenated, and inspired about what’s to come here. This weeks artists are getting paid because of you all, our support translated from love and streams to something even more direct.
I’m really proud of what’s happening here and hope you are too. Tell a friend to tell a friend!! It’s only $5/mo and goes such a long way for me and these artists.
In other news, I’m finally back in LA. And it feels so good. I love this city so much. I’m so excited to return home, to rediscover and reintegrate my habits, my favorite places. But musically too - so much of my listening and discovering gets done here. In my room, in the car, in the park. Streets and paths that have held me through the seasons, where different songs soundtracked them in different moments. And now I return back with a month’s worth of music heard in other cities, other countries, eager to see how they sound and feel in the LA sun. Will they find new meaning here? I guess we’ll find out. I wrote about a few of my recent favs at the end here, but first! ENJOY THIS WEEK’S SONGS, and thanks for helping usher MMM into our new era.
This Week’s Songs
We did it, we broke 700 followers on the playlist… which means we’re basically at 1,000?? Listen, enjoy, and send to a dang friend why don’t you.
Farrah Hanna - Crocodile
From the very first moments, this one screams “Max is going to love this song” and folks, I hope you do too. The second track off Farrah Hanna’s new EP and it is a doozy. This moody and heavy mix of guitar and bass, chugging forward in these first seconds. Punctuated by these big stabs, dotting the melody and blowing my mind. The sound itself feels entirely unique, I’m trying to break down the pieces but can’t quite nail it. This breathtaking mixture of a guitar, keys, sounds like some subtle mallet instrument ringing on top, maybe some strings tossed in for good measure? Idk, the guitar almost has a banjo twang too. It’s a mystery but one thing is for sure it sounds so good. Piercing and moving.
And now that you’re hooked, Hanna comes with the knockout punch. Her vocal performance throughout is truly sick. From the first notes, these layers weaving together, adventuring apart, giving the song so much texture and so much to hear. It’s magic really, I find myself getting lost in it all. What a beautiful thing to get lost in. This masterful arrangement surrounding me and holding me tight. Of course, I find my way again right at 1:13 when the band cuts out and Hanna ushers in the next scene. But!! Before we get there, we can’t let the amazing performance distract from this devastating songwriting.
You said you’d never call me a bitch / you respect me too much for that
but you left me waiting in the cold by a ditch / & you snuck me in through the back
The first few lyrics laying the groundwork for this one. Someone who talks the talk but is not walking the walk. Like at all. Like, forget the walk, they’re basically just running away in the opposite direction. Creating so much pain for our narrator. They’re so fucking slimy!! You can feel it with every line. But Hanna admits to some fault here too, reflecting back, knowing they probably put up with too much, and that she’ll just let this go too. It’s such a beautiful structure, setting up this hurt, pulling us in, and then the cheeky shrug to say “well, maybe next time!”. It’s just so human, so real.
We slide into the next verse, with a lyric of the year nominee - You’re proud you wear your heart on your sleeve but the blood is getting everywhere / & I just changed my sheets. So dang juicy!!! I love it. As the moment continues, there’s an added vocal layer shouting beneath it all, making this late-night argument feel even more real and honest. As the argument fades, a new and gorgeous melody bounds in, over an adventurous riff. It sets the stage for Hanna again admitting that even though she’s had enough and is done, she just can’t let go quite yet. It ebbs and flows, coming to a peak a climax at 2:28. This moving and gut-wrenching moment opening the door for the band to rock tf out, the kick drum rolling, the tsunami wave of emotion and sound growing and growing. It’s a momentous and massive finale and I adore it.
Give the whole EP a spin, Farrah Hanna is up to something special.
Follow Farrah Hanna on IG / Spotify
jessa - TUFF
Certified HIT. This one is big and bold and feels like it’s ripped out of the future but also has this nostalgia to it??? Idk, it’s sick what can I say. The intro made out of three distinct pieces, this soft fuzzy synth, the HEAVY kick, and that rigid ascending synth. The three pass back and forth, clearly unique sounds but so natural and interesting alongside one another. I could get stuck in that loop for a long time, but before we get the chance, jessa gets to work. Her tone is immediately warm and beautiful, a great and grounded contrast to the synth melody that starts to fly upwards. The first verse is pretty killer - this romeo line is a joy, and love her ability to change up the delivery and landing that slow-mo line with ease and ending the verse with some excitement.
The chorus is a true treat. Any chorus that starts with “Hillary Duff really fucked me up” has a lot of potential and jessa makes the most, my goodness. That slick drum fill, the warped vocals echoing out, and the way the whole thing just erupts out of nowhere at the 0:46 mark. Like watching a flower bloom really fast on a time lapse or something, just unfolding with layer on layer on layer. Yet it’s not overdone, just maximizing every moment.
Things get weirder and weirder (good) as we move forward. jessa further exploring her past and coming to terms with never really learning what love meant or what it could be. Still don’t know what I’m doing. Her vocals pass through this filter, just a touch of edge and grit. Reminds me of like some Remi stuff and some Spill Tab stuff where the vocals take these subtle twists and turns while still showing off the dang pipes. It adds so much texture without covering the truth, jessa has a VOICE. Delivering a gnarly last line “I’m soft but / you’re weak”. GO OFF!!!! It’s great writing.
Sends us back to the chorus, this time much bigger, and with the songs momentum, it hits so hard. Full of little (perfect) surprises - that wood block knocking out underneath, the effects on the titular Tuff. Giving the song so much shape and just holding my attention through and through. We hit the bridge, the song continuing to breakdown and explore new grooves. It settles, swirling with some warm keys, giving jessa the mic, intimate and beautiful over these claps. I love the hops into falsetto sprinkled in, what a ride. One last chorus comes through, delivering that massive sound but parting the seas for jessa to show off/nail it once more at 2:22. A wonderful ending to a wonderful song. SO much packed in here, I find something new with every listen. Can’t wait to hear what’s next.
Follow jessa on IG / Spotify
Here’s what else I’ve been listening to.
Yeah, I’ve got another playlist…^^ a live look at the songs I can’t get enough of beyond our weekly picks. It’s a mix of everything. Old, new, big, small, mainstream, weird as hell. Give it a listen :)
Vagabon - Carpenter
Vagabon’s Fear & Force, from 2017 was a gentle gem. This warm and intimate song, blossoming/exploding into a massive and fuzzy and still sweet rock song. An early day’s Max’s Music Mondays pick, it locked me in as a Vagabon fan for life. That fandom renewed for another lifetime with this tune.
It’s so damn good. The groove is absolutely outrageous, an intro full of percussion making way for this warm encompassing bass, Vagabon’s voice so perfect and calm. Every tone and sound is so complimentary, not just fitting alongside the vocals but showcasing and elevating them. So it’s no shock that the king himself, Rostam Batmanglij is involved. Someone who continues to be a part of more and more of my favorite music by the day. He’s incredible. You can feel his influence and sound, but it’s not overwhelming, it’s again here to help. A true sum-greater-than-its-parts vibe.
The songwriting is so beautiful too. A moment of reflection and acceptance that at some point back then, we weren’t ready. We all face our own struggles and limitations, that ‘spinning my wheels all day’ feeling present, whether conscious or not. Admitting to this vulnerability, this version of themself that needed to grow and evolve. It’s earnest and impressive. And when the song catches up to us now and Vagabon reveals they’re ready now… chills!!! smiles!!! dance moves!!! It’s fun and empowering and electric. Cannot wait to hear what else Vagabon has cooked up.
Emeryld - Scandal
I was hooked on Emeryld’s Bloodline over the past month, and this one off her freshly released EP has me by the neck now. A simple, not-quite-perfect acoustic strums through the intro. Emeryld’s vocals coming through with a kiss of fuzz, giving it this timeless tone. The snare rolls, introducing this warm moment - drums, bass, and this angelic organ that might be background vocals idk(??). Toss in a western guitar yearning off in the distance, it feels so great and really gives momentum and life to the acoustic/vocal combo. Emeryld’s voice is so gorgeous, moving like a wave over this verse and prechorus. At 0:50 we fly to the chorus, a drum fill, a guitar suiting up for war, and a wild run from a new vocal layer. It’s big and exciting, and launches into this more emotional moment. It rocks, I’ll tell ya what! Another verse/chorus come and go, magic throughout, before we reach the more psych-tame-esque bridge. The song evolving and expanding. The whole EP is sick as hell, fleetwoodcrack ! and Horny 4 the Pain also worth mentioning and hearing!!!
Carliane Tamara - Kiss In Public
My god. A hit. Caliana Tamara is a star and every song released is a banger. This one takes off quick, this Drum n Bass breakbeat steaming out of the gates with that eerie synth. The synth turns into guitar as CT begins singing, an honest and hard story, wanting so much more than they are getting, afraid to reach out of the love they really want. Her IG post about the song says it better than anything else. Wrote you in my diary, really want you to stay, saw you in my dreams so much, just to let you get away. Oof!! This thing moves so fast with energy and emotion and vulnerability and flirtation and a unique sound. Love this song.
Benny Sings - Young Hearts
Benny Sings, a legend. This one has his signature keys, dancing through their melody. Drums and bass punching hard and crisp. Kenny Beats production and you can feel it. Benny’s voice is one of a kind, so sweet and soft, powerful in their control. The first thirty some seconds are just joy, just music that feels good. But it’s with the throw to the chorus that i lose my mind and immediately vow to post this one here. Who’s that singing?? You know it’s the king herself, Remi Wolf!! No one does it better and she brings this song to life in such an exciting way. Benny crushes throughout the second verse too, his ease and flow sliding across the groove, arriving perfectly with every word delivered. Wolf comes in again, making a stellar chorus sound easy. The keys lead the way in a quick bridge, injecting some new emotion to the song before this twisted and gnarly guitar solo. It’s a well built song, where every part plays its part and nothing more. Well friggin done.
Whew - that’s it for this week! Some really incredible music. And thanks to the support of our paid subscribers, we’ll be sending some money to Farrah Hanna and jessa this week too. A beautiful world that I’m so honored to be a part of. Thank you all so much!! If you want to send a few dollars my way and join that group for the next issue, no better time to upgrade your subscription :)
See you next week. With love,
Max