Max's Music Mondays with Zak Robinson and Trout
Plus new smash hits from Medium Build, Danielle Ponder, Intrnet Boyfriend, and more!
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, follow along on spotify and please be sure to absolute smash that dang subscribe button! tysm :)
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!!
Zak Robinson - Nose
Peaceful notes from a guitar bouncing alongside each other, a shining synth, an upright bass, some gentle winds, a steady drum beat. This song is a bus and we’re picking up a stunning musician at every dang stop. In a blink of an eye we’re crossing the 0:23 mark, Zak Robinson tying everything together with his vocals. This verse carries on smooth and steady, as Robinson’s memories of a past love come trickling back. Moment after moment. Scene after scene. More seeming to come to him as he reaches into the past. These call and responses between his vocals and that little guitar riff is such a tender start. As the synth cuts through to fill that same space, more aggressive as it pulls me back into those old scenes. Mesmerizing. We took each other in / We took each other in. It’s simple, it’s beautiful.
The next few lines offer a chorus to return to, a touchstone, a promise. The way again drapes so perfectly beyond the phrase, an extra word to prove it’s real. An imperfect last note does some incredible work here, his voice struggling to sign off, the emotions of remembering taking a toll on our narrator. It’s compassionate. From here the band swirls, Robinson poking back in for one last line, with some lush harmonies to bring it all to life.
What felt like the band blossoming for the moment now becomes the norm, carrying into the second verse at full steam with background singers and everything. The song continuing to grow and grow and grow. I love the ba da buh’s of these singers - such a warm, human, cheery touch as Robinson wades further and further into these memories. I’m grateful to have this light balance. In the second half of the verse, his vocals stretch out further, the effects coming to life, another layer to give it such fascinating dimension. It’s an impressive section!! That wherever you areeeee is so damn cool, I’m pretty floored by all of this. A little respite for this second chorus offering a spotlight on Robinson’s wonderful voice. With all the momentum and a terrific arrangement, it’s easy to forget what’s holding this all together. Impressed with the vocals from start to finish. An acoustic guitar appears - stronger now - ripping off some nice runs before we meet another band member. A new nostalgic synth pushing upwards as this last scene hits its climax. Robinson clearly struggling between these two feelings - holding the love but not needing it anymore or maybe not wanting it anymore. Either way, it’s visceral in that background vocal. He’s really letting it rip, letting it all out. The outro lets it all melt together one last time as he continues to navigate some confusion. Before a calm and warm end. A journey of a song, and one hell of a first release. Cannot wait for more from Zak Robinson :)
Follow Zak Robinson on IG / Spotify
Trout - Bugs
I canNOT get this one out of my head, holy shit. Each tone fitting so perfectly against the next. The way the bass slides along, the central guitar riff to match, the extra guitar detailing the left side of the mix, the whole thing just has a hold on me. Trying to listen to any one instrument feels pointless. When I do, I simply get swept away by another. The whole mix with a big ol ‘sum greater than its parts’ vibe. A classic vibe.
Trout’s vocals only adding to that feeling. Doubled from the jump, they have such a depth and gravity, it’s hard to shake, hard not to be sucked in. A darkness covering this whole song, and as the vocals kick in, it’s a mood matched in the writing. I don’t wanna feel alone. Trout battling back a true heaviness, losing a sense of self in the process. The verse keeps going, a tiny touch there at 0:38 that I adore. As Trout mentions bugs, it feels echoed in the mix. Whether that’s a yell, off in the background or just some fuzz off a guitar, I don’t know, but the effect is the same. Power behind the word, in an ear-catching way. The way crawling comes, well, crawling out of Trout’s mouth is gonna go ahead and be absolutely nasty!!! Bugs are gross there’s no two ways about it, and in this moment we’re able to really understand that sonically too. But to make up for the nastiness, Trout delivers a treat here at 0:46. A tiny key change that changes EVERYTHING. The song brightens up immediately, a slight shift that feels wildly impactful. The stacked vocals pull apart more than we’ve heard before, opening a gap for me to fall even deeper into this song. Heavy guitars come pouring down, filling out the song along with that cymbal ringing out. A generous chorus.
Left with a feedback banging about, we settle back into the next verse. Another haunting and great one. Trout showing off some songwriting expertise - stringing out and blurring lines together: why the hell do i watch the minutes pass off my watch to my eyes to my body it’s nice to feel no sense of time. The phrasing giving this a wild shape and feels like a moment that really doesn’t have a sense of time. But the adjacent key change hits again and there’s no question where we are, shaking me out of that daydream. As this chorus hits, big and fuzzy as ever, Trout adds another layer of vocals. Like they’re yelling up at you, they feel heavy and sad (in this accepting way?) even though I can’t quite make them out. But the emotion is clear and you can feel it. Gives the chorus a little more character, I love it. As we push on, the song starts to break down. Slowing, echoing, falling apart - another touch done so well but still so gross. What a tune.
Follow Trout on Spotify
Here’s what else I’ve been listening to.
(click this ^^ for the full playlist lol)
Medium Build - ALONE IN MY CAR
Folks… he’s doing it!!! He’s making a play at my most played artist of the year…………. hit after hit after hit, Medium Build’s music has been SPEAKING to me lately. This one starts so mellow, sounds from a car, the road rolling underneath. This gentle acoustic riff, drums that are hard but inviting all the same. MB’s vocals are so warm, in verse one he’s story telling of a winter (i hope) day of old. This melody is just so damn charming I can’t stand it. Right at 0:25 the piano bounces by, sounding straight out of a memory. Those big background vocals come soaring out, enough effects to feel far and subtle even as he lets the lyric rip. And talk about lyrics… this guy can write… From the loving and nostalgic:
And on the way to the valley we passed the aux
You played an old one and I sang along
To the real and profound:
I took the job 'cause I need somewhere to hide
Between sleeping in and opening up my phone
The song builds as it rolls on, both in MB’s vocals and more layers finding a home on this beautiful tune. Breaking past 2:15 and exploding into some rock and freaking roll. Now at its hardest and heaviest as he “wants to be gentle with you”. This final section, what feels like a chorus, still dances with some edge. Phrases spilling over, the melody carrying on, all in such unique ways. I love it.
Danielle Ponder - Some Of Us Are Brave
WHAT a voice, like holy moly. This song is truly crazy and has me salivating for Ponder’s album coming in a couple months. That intro feels cinematic, warm, full-bodied keys building one heck of a foundation. As the filter pulls away, Ponder’s voice comes through even stronger as the production sparkles. Which makes the drop around 0:55 that much nastier - that sub kick so deep and dark, the whole song getting a new feel. But that’s not all, another reveal just ten seconds later changes everything again. The drums just smacking with Ponder’s timeless voice guiding us on. It’s a gorgeous combo and I am just soaking it all in. This little breakdown rolling into the 2min mark wakes me up, the drums taking a momentary break to let the song lighten up and float for a second. They return, keeping this one grounded but these vocals are so insane it makes for a nice balance. Just let this one run and witness an incredible talent.
Intrnet Boyfriend - proud
Intrnet Boyfriend is not afraid to make u cry!!!! Most of the time it’s just so dang romantic, heartfelt, sweet, etc. etc. and makes my lil heart burst. But this time he takes a new approach. Atop a stunning production, asking if you think your kids will be proud of you. I WASN’T READY FOR THAT!!!!! IB’s voice is so lush, really offers a tone that I haven’t found anywhere else. His ease around the lower notes, the power and character of his voice as he pushes higher and higher. I’m dying for so many pieces of the band - the bass an early stand-out, those keys feel so special too, those strings sprinkling in the back half of the first verse!! It’s all so sweet. The second verse is… bleak and honest. Sheesh. It’s a new feel from IB, who’s only other song about fathers was a bit different (and just as good). He’s spent 2022 delivering some gorgeous songs, and I can’t wait for more.
Evangeline - Will
I think it’s “Crazy Voice Week” in our HWEIBLT section this time around. Each so different, so unique, and so fucking good. Evangeline is the next one up, and a damn angel. Her vocals are so soft and warm, but still asserting themselves and standing clear and strong throughout this one.
Will I’m really wanting to tell you
everything on my mind, but it’s coming out
funny
The guitar raining down, the moment intoxicating. Things with Will feel magical and complicated and exciting and scary all at once. I haven’t been sleeping / ‘cuz I’m getting to know you. In the second chorus, the band really feels magnetic. That gentle flute humming along, the drums cutting through so beautifully. The whole song able to balance this lightness and love with the heaviness and uncertainty. Some nice vibraphone colors the finally chorus/buildup, setting the song loose, sailing on to the end.
Nick Dorian - The Least You Can Do
How fun. That hazy, crunchy guitar, a late night at a saloon being piped to your speakers. The drums bursting through, even with brushes on the snare. Getting the most out of every sound. It’s got such a gnarly groove, the kind that holds you and never lets go, head knocking from the very first beat. Dorian grappling with the end of a romance. The chorus is a joy, the titular need, asking this other person to leave him alone. Alternatively, he offers the most-they-can-do option, which seems impossible, requiring some MIB tools or something. There’s something about it that feels so nice - a groovy old sound, and story, but lyrics that feel alive and new.
I don’t want to talk like this
But who the fuck do you think you are
It’s genius, and such a delight. The band is also fantastic throughout. Drums, guitar, bass, keys, some shimmering bells, and I’m sure plenty more than I can even hear. But it all comes together beautifully. The whole thing feeling so full. Cross by two minutes and the instrumental break feels like the confusion and uncertainty Dorian sings about. The keys stumbling through a solo as the drums shuffle, horns flying by as the run up and down the sides of the track, guitars and more filling the left side of the mix with a swirling sound too. When the chorus finds its feet again, the added vocals give the track so much heft and power. It’s a thrilling finish, all of Dorian’s friends there to will him along. A beauty. Always excited to see what comes next from Nick Dorian.
Just a joy of a week, thank you as always - don’t be afraid to send to a friend :)
Yours,
Max