The Maxies 2021 Part Two: The Second and Final Part.
Celebrating my favorite song, album, and artist of 2021.
And we’re back! I’m still wearing the same tux (don’t fact check me please just give me this one fib) and still stoked to be sharing some of my favorites (this part is true). Thank you again for reading Part One of The Maxies, it was so fun to write and I appreciated the time you gave it. So many songs and artists I loved this year, it felt so good to shout about them all. For Part Two: The Final Part, we get to the big awards. Sorry to last week’s awards… They’re also big, but just not as big as these.
This week we take on the unthinkable. Trying to find a way to express my love and admiration for my favorite song of the year, my favorite album of the year, and my favorite artist of the year. I’ve got a lot to say about these, and that’s the scariest part. There’s a reason I’m still finishing this on January 13th (now 15th) and wasn’t ready to hit send a month ago. This stuff means so much. This year in particular. At the risk of sounding cliche, listening and watching the winners this year felt capital-L Life Changing! As MMM’s has well documented, I love a lot of music, day after day, year after year. I rely on it. But this felt different. You know when someone who hasn’t played a sport in a long time plays the sport, and the next day says something like “I didn’t even know those muscles could be sore!” (tbh I don’t remember the last time I heard this but it feels like a relatable example…)? That’s what this music did to me this year - scratched itches I didn’t know I had, connected emotions and memories in ways I hadn’t before, and inspired and motivated me with an intensity I’ve never felt before. Of course, this is all contextual. Personal to my life. Everything hitting just when I was ready. It’s just as much about me as it is the music. but I’m grateful that the stars aligned in these ways, and aim to share some of that context. I know there’s never going to be a time when I can articulate this all perfectly or when I feel like I’m a sufficient enough writer to do them true justice. So today will have to do, I’ll do my best.
If this is already too much for you, I don’t blame you, happy to save you the trouble. This year’s winners:
My Favorite Song of the Year is… Many Times by Dijon
My Favorite Album of the Year is… Absolutely by Dijon
My Favorite Artist of the Year is… Remi Wolf
If you take anything from MMM’s I hope it’s something from these two. Both have brought something special into my life. If you’re generous to stick around a little longer, I’ve done my best to chip away at the marble of my thoughts and share something close to their importance.
Dijon is a damn genius. He’s someone whose music I’ve floated near for years, a song here, a live clip there. I was a fan. Nico’s Red Truck, Dog Eyes, classics. I’ve watched this live version of Violence so many times. Let it simmer until 1:52 I beg you. You can feel the crowd’s anticipation, his magic just beneath the surface. And then voila, it erupts. February 2020 gave me a chance to witness it first hand - the final shows of a long tour, the exhaustion present too. I won’t forget the magic I felt. Seeing them play some unreleased songs - what would be his 2020 EP How Do You Feel About Getting Married? The way the room, my world, exploded when they dropped rock n roll.. special stuff.
It left me craving more, ready to become the superfan that so many of his fans are. Cherishing everything he shares with an insatiable desire for more. That EP rocked me, rock n roll (and it’s breathtaking ending) sucking me in deep. But the rest of the project is full of beauty and love. Intimate moments, love letters, and the tiniest details and the tinier admissions they betray. So quiet it’s like we weren’t supposed to hear it. Listen, I could go on, but we’re not even here for this EP. This is all here to say, I was ready for whatever was to come. At the end of 2020, it was The Stranger. A collaborative joy. Dialing in the country inspirations that color so much of his work. Even in the affected vocals it feels so raw. Its weirdness the perfect recipe for music I like. And so that brings us into 2021. As big a fan as ever (rock n roll cracking my top five most played songs in 2020), looking forward to more. To be honest, I’m trying to remember what I knew or how I felt before Many Times dropped. But that song, this album, has become such an obsession I can’t really put myself back there. Some cryptic IG posts to start teasing new music came throughout the summer, but the first Many Times tease was late August. At that point, I’ve got my friend and Dijon champion Britt to thank for getting me so excited. The single came, it blew my mind, as did the singles, visuals, live show, and album to follow. The album held so much power and beauty to me I didn’t know how to approach this. A full album review? A powerpoint breaking down all the reasons I love it? A detective’s wall covered in yarn and push pins connecting all of the recurring motifs, characters, and lyrics? Well there’s room for all of that. But I decided on what’s below. One moment for each song. Each holding its light up to another part of life and showing the way. For some songs it’s in their content, for others, what they represented to me. It’s a bit scary to send this one, a bit ambitious for me. But, I hope you enjoy. Because I sure as hell did.
Absolutely by Dijon
a track by track ode to the album of the year.
1. Big Mike’s - Love in Every Form.
I’ll be honest, this almost snatched the best song of the year title… A late push, it’s been a constant for me. Something to get lost in with every listen. It’s remarkable, musically and lyrically. The theme is love, but the way it appears for me changes with time.
The song debuted with it’s video, which I’ll talk about plenty in the next section. The rare experience nowadays to become obsessed with a song you can’t stream, can’t listen to, without its visual component. It meant the first thing I fell for was the friendship. It’s inescapable. The way they all play around the table… it’s so fun to see them come to life for each other, supportive friends before bandmates. In a year that I was putting more value on friendships than ever before, it spoke (and speaks) to me. There’s pride in the room, joy in what they’re making. It’s a raw version and it all feels earnest. Plus it feels important that Dijon is sharing this, saying all of this, with his friends at his side. Because what he’s saying is big.
And what he’s saying is clear. Simply, it’s, “here’s all the reasons I love you, will you marry me?” and I find it unbearably sweet. Full of such love, such optimism. When he asks “will you take me” I don’t feel any doubt about her saying yes, instead it feels like the result of their journey. More “I’m really ready, let’s do this” than anything else. Each instrument finds a moment to speak too, delivering this message all the same. The question never gets its answer, maybe that’s what the album title is for. There’s still something so charming about Dijon fading out, still asking. It’s not pleading, again, he knows the answer, but continuing to ask as if he can’t believe he actually gets to ask.
And lastly, maybe most surprising to myself, has been self love. I have listened to this song so many times. Sang every word so many times. And somewhere in the haze of these past few months the song became personal. Suddenly the list of things to love became about myself. Offering myself the same grace and admiration that Dijon offers to his love. It clicked for me, and I’ve cherished it since. In a moment where I needed it, the song transformed for me and found new importance again. It’s powerful, a four and half minute love letter to yourself. A special chance to connect and stay connected, to appreciate what you have, the good and bad. Maybe it was the line about blue eyes, I don’t know. But god I love this song, and singing it to myself about myself has proved meaningful and moving in ways I didn’t expect. I love it as a chance to combat my own insecurities with every listen. I also love it for its ability to reappear. Having faith that this song, this album, has a lot of wisdom to share. That as time moves, as life changes, there’s more to find with another listen.
2. Scratching - The Visuals.
This record came to life with the help of some insane visuals. One’s that put you quite literally ~in the room~, watching these live versions of the songs blossom in the hands of the people responsible for them.
It started with the Many Times music video. Shot from behind Dijon, it shows that intensity so well. The lyric overlays matching the manic energy surging through every moment. I have no hesitations in saying this is one of the most inspiring music videos I’ve ever seen. It ended and made me 1) want to watch it again and 2) make something this beautiful. Art that touched a nerve in major way.
Then the live performances started, and I swooned. These songs are all special in their own ways, but the connection between the musicians in these videos is so moving. The way Dijon and Mk.gee play to each other, for each other, it’s beautiful and sweet and rad. This first video tours the room too, this connection alive with everyone there. The brief version of Talk Down cutting in mid-song, electric as it pans out revealing this room wasn’t a room at all, fucking exciting, the world expanding. There’s the live version of Many Times that makes me smile. Dijon exasperated as he lurches for the melody. The charming moment of Mk.gee sprinting to the piano to bring us home. Annie starting with a sip, exploring the shoot for an extended version that feels as improvised as it does perfect, the band jamming it all the way back to the chorus. And it all culminated in the perfect 25min film.
It’s Scratching (starting around 7:23) that shows the excellence. The opening shot tracking Dijon and Mk.gee alone, singing together beautifully. The shot get all the way around revealing the band at the table. The energy is infectious, you feel it as Dijon starts clapping, the piano suddenly rushes into a bigger sound. As Dijon turns and begs Joanna to extend her hand it feels so personal, so honest. A turn away from the camera, the genuine plea only she can see. He turns back with a laugh and I think everyone knows this is special. The band comes all the way alive, Dijon punching the cymbal before causing chaos on the keys. Just so much passion and emotion pouring out. Haven’t seen something so pure in a long time. Stick around for the whole film, a rendition of Rodeo Clown that will send you reeling too.
3. Many Times - The Song of the Year.
Can’t tell you how excited I am to write about this song. Not for any big reason either, just because it means I get to listen to it over and over again. I’ve said it plenty over since its release, but this song unlocked something in me. The drums rolling in, bringing the band to full force. A shift like getting out of your seat, an argument in song form. With the drums as the back bone, there’s an undying urgency that pushes and pushes and pushes. If you’re not careful it’ll leave you breathless. I’m not sure what the secret is, but its effect gets my heart racing. I don’t want to wait any longer before talking about the writing, this forlorn feeling so present in those early lines. The relentless off-beat run from strawberry to x-ray vision, this deep sense of utter resignation. “What’s it gonna take” arriving after every possibility has been tried already. Dijon lands that second “you can’t change your decision” so hard, each word with its own punch, pointing at you as he lets it all out. All this and we’re barely thirty seconds in.
The chorus mellows, in the sense that Dijon mellows, sitting back down, admitting the pain. Sonically, the brightness from that symbol seems to lighten the load for the moment. A second verse gets back on the horse, more western motifs finding their way in as the drums gallop along. The subject of this song causing a scene, using Dijon, wanting to show off a little. His pain seeps through. That “thousand and one won’t be so bad” is devastating, and as we creep towards the chorus the anger loses its steam, Dijon desperate to get the words out, to catch his breath. Another chorus where the emotion pours out through every layers, it’s stunning. “I don’t wanna talk about it” shouted out from a distance, Dijon losing it and walking away. Left with a piano solo, it’s mesmerizing.
It’s the combination of it all that has me feeling. Again I know I’ve written about it plenty, but it creates a visceral intensity for me. Grabbing at my own heart, literally, a reaction I’ve never had to a song before. Let alone a song whose story I can’t relate to..? But that’s its trick. The songs arrangement lets you fall into the storm, sitting right in the middle of this explosive moment. You can’t help but feel it all too. I love this song with all my heart, and I hope you do too.
4. Annie - The Genre Boxing.
We live in a structured world. A world where we all try and make sense of the trillions of things happening around us. Making sense to make it through. But in music, it’s a tough sell. Forcing things into boxes that shouldn’t exist anymore. Music evolving into new sounds, people trying to slap old labels on them. Across the internet, sources seem to want to call this record “Alt R&B”. I don’t really know what that means. But it’s also not important. From song to song, moment to moment, this thing is free. Bouncing across regions and eras, it’s influences coming together in new ways and offering something unique. And then there’s this beautiful tweet:
And it all clicks. Absolute TKOs on every single song. It’s so admirable too, this vision of what the art is, what it’s doing. Take Annie, a song that feels familiar in ways that you can’t quite name. The opening, that breathy sax feeling so smooth. The background vocals erupting in that yelp at 0:25 breaks any sense of folk music that might’ve been stirring otherwise. The ‘You can change your mind’ section making soulful movements, taking bon iver-esque saxophone flourishes, the whole thing bouncing around the ring - random features grabbing your attention with each new listen. So much packed into these little pockets, it’s impossible to pin down. But that’s the beauty for me, so when the band powers back at 1:15, Dijon’s anger pouring out too, it could suddenly be an alt rock song and it makes sense. The guitar sparkle at the end, just as much cowboy by the fire as it is a 90’s hip hop sample. When TKO’s are the goal, when graffiti is the goal, anything can happen, anything is allowed to happen. Not many artists can say this and mean it. Dijon even manages to pull it off. On what albums can Noah’s Highlight Reel and The Dress sit next to each other and work? Good luck to anyone else. But that’s the thrill, what’s around the corner? Who knows! But it’ll be good.
5. Noah’s Highlight Reel - The Language in Orbit.
Ugh. I could say this in every section, but this is what drew me even deeper into this album. The way everyone involved talked about the project, I found devastatingly inspiring. It all holds a perspective of love on a cosmic scale. It’s spiritual in the way it recognizes how this work of art feels like came out of something more than themselves.
It’s hard to describe without examples. So here are a couple that have really stuck with me. On his album release post, he mentions this song in particular, saying:
@noahlegros your song is my favorite thing I’ve ever been a part of and I’m proud and sad the world gets to hear our little secret.
Like come on. Proud and sad? Our little secret? It’s so sweet and magical.
I think my favorite came with the release of Many Times
Mike U opened up a billion mind doors and windows and I’m grateful to work w you. Andrew you slapped me into shape and told me to tap in and made the room open for spellcasting. Felt truly like myself making this song with y’all and I’m over thee moon to share it.
mind doors is a phrase I can never forget. And Mike got into it too with stuff like, “A new world both bold and true.” and:
Many Times out today. Dijon is a real TRUEEE brother of mine and is a big giant beam of light. shout out to @sarloson for helping sail the ship on this one 🌑it’s a brand new worlddd
The way they see and feel this music, the way they see and appreciate one another. I just find it so stunning. So admirable. I know around here there’s a lot of me spilling my guts in basic english, funneling feelings towards bold capital letters, but it’s the language like this that I’m after. That feels so true, so personal. Moments and feelings that I want to chase after and create, with those I love too.
6. The Dress - The Nostalgia, The What-Ifs.
Swirling with lingering love, The Dress is a dangerous one. It’s a gorgeous combination, reminiscing and reuniting over a timeless sound. This retro organ and bass casting me back in time, the memories doing just the same.
I love that lyric, “I’m happy to be catching up / now we don’t have to patch things up”. This crystal clear understanding that this moment may feel good again but that problems still sit beneath it. Pain from another time ready to rear its head, Djion choosing instead to turn down the lights and hold the good, however fleeting they might be. A natural spot to find yourself, letting yourself dance in the what-ifs, focusing on those shining moments that still feel real.
The second verse offering more of the story, Dijon coming to terms with how he helped this relationship end. There’s something so cheeky about it, seeing his own faults, mistakes, a sense of despair as it turns to the chorus “but the dress looks nice on you still / and it always will, so”. A forward-looking, no-regrets, lifestyle that I can’t help but admire. Even he seems to know it won’t last long, a beautiful life is too short urgency pushing him beyond the rational thought.
I think it all landed for me in a year like this one. Where there’s nothing but time to think and reminisce. It’s easy to slip into moments like the second verse, trying to fix, trying to make good. But ultimately, the song seems to ask us to just remember, accept, and enjoy what’s still ahead until you don’t anymore. And at the end of the day, it’s just a hot hot song.
7. God In Wilson - The Progress.
I was really taken by this Fader interview, the section on God In Wilson in particular:
"God In Wilson"'s an interesting one because I wasn't going to put on the record. And in the effort of trying to make a debut record, your brain immediately jumps to like, how do you make the most flawless record? And to me that is the most flawed song on the record because there's a specific theme throughout the album that's kind of just for me. And "God and Wilson" is a bit too on it. When I listened back, I was like, "I don't think I nailed that." But that's what I was trying to do, was trying to engage with a specific theme. There's like a hatred and there's shame, music repression in that song. I kept it on there because I was like, I got to have some sort of landmark for what I want to actually do. …that was the only one on the record too, that I think wasn't immediately pulled from some sort of actual person that I know or a moment that I've experienced, which is I think why I'm more sensitive to it. Because it's like you're trying to tell a little story and I don't know if it works.
This vulnerability is remarkable. The bravery to create that landmark for yourself is special. And gives so much more power to a song that feels (while stunning) slightly lost. But, this quote seems to suggest sometimes lost is the point. Seeing the flaw means you know where you’re headed. A gnarly bit of wisdom that I think I can use more often. And if I’m totally honest, this whole pt. 2 feels like my landmark. Here I am trying to pay tribute to art that’s meant so much to me, trying to persuade even one of you to give it a listen and open those mind doors. But that’s not what I do every week. It’s beyond me but it’s where I want to head. And hours into this whole project, it’s advice I needed to hear again. Another reward for sticking around the Absolutely world a bit longer.
8. Did You See It? - The Connections.
Oof. I’m finding it very hard to capture it all. I should’ve been taking notes since the album dropped. My friend and I have sent countless voice memos, noting the connections from song to song. Both in sound and in content. The transition from Did You See It? to Talk Down makes it clear that every bit of it is intentional. And executed at such a high level it’s astounding. Maybe one day I’ll write a thesis about it all but for now I’ll just draw some of my favorite lines.
The whole structure of the album feels notable to me. Ebbing and flowing from small to big and back, each song feeling distinct and each flowing just right. Many Times and Annie, two sides of the same coin. That explicit lyrical crossover with opposing emotional takes. It makes you sit with each song as it’s own feeling. Similarly, Big Mike’s and Scratching capture different moments for the same two people. One a medieval scroll rolling on and on full of every reason to love someone ready to propose, the other putting it all aside and examining the tough moments too. This back and forth makes each song all the more special, playing its own role, sharing its own message, its presence then sticking around to inform another. On their own, wonderful songs. Together, worth so much more.
Lyrically, Dijon folds over himself again and again, even in the smallest moments. My favorite starts in the third verse of Big Mike’s, a background vocal letting out, ‘go ahead, turn the radio on’. Coming back around several songs later in Talk Down, as ‘turn the radio down’ gets repeated. The other themes hit a little louder, the constant cowboy/western influence - Noah’s Highlight Reel feeling like its home sonically, Rodeo Clown lyrically. There’s a lot of car talk, a lot of driving, giving and taking rides (God in Wilson, Talk Down, NHR). A lot of dancing, for joy and for sin. It’s all brilliant. The more time you give this album, the more connections form. Extending into the visuals and even across projects. It feels like a roller coaster. As someone who has never ridden one I feel very qualified to say that. It’s all a part of one big ride, the ups and downs, the fast and slow, it’s all looping back over itself seeing themes and moments from every possible angle.
It’s inspiring.
9. Talk Down - The Live Performance.
Dijon is a performer. His music is beautiful on its own, but when it has the chance to live and breath beyond its digital form, it takes on entirely new shapes, mountains of meaning thrown at every crowd. I already talked about that 2020 show at The Troubadour and that version of Violence I’ll never get over. So, needless to say, I have been looking forward to a chance to see these songs live.
Outside Lands came on the heels of the singles and Big Mike’s performance. I was well into my “Many Times is the best song ever” phase (still am) and could not wait to hear that one live. Ask anyone I was with that weekend, I was geeked for this.
It’s a mesmerizing set. At OSL it held a strange magic. Such a big, nature-y, festival for such intimate music. But Dijon played to the moment. It gave the band space to rock the heck out, and himself the space to get weird (massive 3D animated animals walking on the screen behind him). The album on the horizon, I was eager to hear what they’d play. Big Mike’s and Rodeo Clown hit, of course, but the closer got me good. At the time it was unreleased, but, it was Talk Down. Setting up his drum machine, that loop ripping from the first beat. With the band in full force as he crossed through the second verse and back into the chorus, Dijon just let them cook and left the stage. It was perfect. The music still blasting, the band following new roads, jamming it out to infinity, Dijon just not there. After a couple minutes he came back to kill the drums, the band ready to go as long as they needed. But to close on this note… the confidence!! The knowledge that this song is a hit and even his passionate fans dying to sing along to their favorite deep cut would appreciate a taste of what’s to come. And what a taste it was.
He’s hitting the road again this year, big spots opening for Bon Iver followed by his own run this spring. It’ll bring him indoors, smaller rooms holding the music and all of us together. And I can’t wait to feel it all, all over again.
10. Rodeo Clown - The Songwriting.
The album is full of convention-breaking. The tears in Rodeo Clown making that clear. Songs taking forms that feel novel, forms that stray from any expectation. Big Mike’s and End of Record finding power in repetition. Scratching, Many Times, Did You See It? all cutting off before you’re ready. Scratching and Talk Down soaring as they go. God In Wilson begs the question, “Who needs a chorus?”. Leaving any traditional structure looking plain.
Lyrically… geez. Here’s my favorite/most memorable lyric from each song, in tracklist order. Each of them so beautiful, heartbreaking, loving, funny even. A damn wizard with words.
I like how you look when you get good news, mmm
And I like how you look when you're dancin' to your favorite songThere were times I lied
But there were times where you were clapping and laughing
There were honest times tooStrawberry, raspberry
Candlelight, satellite
Television, x-ray vision
Ahh, what's it gonna take for you to listen?You can change your mind
Ah, if you still love me
Please let me know
And I'll come back aroundOkay, I took a long time to get ready too
'Cause I didn't remember it
And my head got heavy like it tends to doBut there's a good one underneath our bed
And I do not mind
Having him around sometimesI saw some crazy flickerin' over here
So I whistled for the dog to come
And I shivered and went dark all at once
Was that the cap kicking in?You put on Liz Phair
And you lean back in your chairSo what are you so ashamed of?
Rodeo could kill ya
I just wanna kiss yaWho gets your magic?
Who gets your spells?We’re just out here freaking a vibe!
11. End of Record - The Humanity.
Who has the courage, the thought even, to put a song like this on the record. And yet, it’s perfect. You can hear the friendship, the pals talking, the plates clinking, that delightful sneeze at 0:21. Like a big dinner party, while Dijon & Co. sit in the other the room howling at the moon.
It’s what has kept me around in this record as much I have (and will). It feels alive because it is alive. Full of life at every turn. I’m a fool for the conversations littered across this one, puts a smile on my face each time. The layers of Dijon’s vocals rising and rising, it feels like a repeated scene. As the song transitions into its stunning second half, the lyrics destroying me every damn time, the party reconvenes around the table, singing together, supporting each other. As his intimate vocal sneaks in from the left, it feels like another secret let loose - letting these feelings and thoughts be seen by those around him.
It’s the same sense I get as he cries through Rodeo Clown, letting these ups and downs find their way to the recordings. The claps that follow, messy as they are. The sniffle at 3:13. Letting this record land as a much truer representation of life. I think of Many Times flowing straight into Annie, both offering this lyric about changing your mind. Different moments letting different emotions shape it all. I think of the Big Mike’s performance video, oozing with connection and emotion. It’s rough edges making you feel apart of something in progress, not some perfectly polished object to observe. And that’s life, baby! Everything is something in progress, these moments, feelings, all rolling on, moving us along into the next, whatever it might be. To feel like a part of that journey for someone else is such a joy. Whether it’s your friend, your sister, or in this case one of your favorite musicians.
12. Credits! - The Fun.
What’s there left to say, we’re just out here freaking a vibe. It’s final minute, a timeless piece of joy, the kind of thing that feels like the manic waning moments of a too-long night with your friends. God damn I love this record and everything it holds. I hope this gives you a taste of why, and I hope it leads you back to this record another time.
whew. that was a lot. let’s role on into the final Maxie, Artist of the Year, and our winner, Remi Wolf.
You might be asking, how does Dijon win song + album of the year but not artist? Well, that’s an easy answer, Remi had a fucking amazing year too. And a full year. From start to finish she’s been hustling and it’s been a joy to witness it all.
There’s nothing I can say about Remi that I haven’t said before. She got a full writeup at 2020’s Maxies. She’s an inspiration and a creative delight. I spent much of that essay on my passion for her live music. Something that I missed in 2020, that left a hole in my soul. I talked about her random-as-hell (in the best way) writing. Her deep sense of self and creativity that emanates from it. Her incredible rise during a brutal brutal year. And yet somehow, she topped herself in every possible category.
So why don’t we recap? Take a little walk down memory lane and witness the insane year Remi Wolf had, and shared with all of us.
She started the year in January (naturally) with this Wallows collab. Something that was a delight and also so long ago I forgot how much I loved it. Her vocals adding warmth to this song.
At this point we were already into Remi Remix Release season, one that I’d stay in forever, in this case took us up until the release of the remix package, We Love Dogs! And holy moly what a package.
What I love most, is of course, more Remi music. New life for old favorites. But I think a close second is just the range this has. How jarring it is for me to see Remi remixed by this diverse of a group. Legends like Nile taking time to appreciate and create. Artists like Beck who I’ve listened too for as long as I can remember. Musicians in their moments - Sylvan Esso, Polo & Pan - giving love to someone who even at this point still felt ‘new’ and like a ‘small artist’, whatever that means. It was a thrill to wait and see what the next remix would be and when the full project arrived, it was a treat to savor.
Her music changes and evolves on its own, but with the help of a whole roster of geniuses, it twists and bends into new grooves and genres I could never have expected. It’s hard to do a remix album like this, and Remi & Co. went absolutely Barry Bonds on this one, hit it out of the park so hard the ball is still floating out in space somewhere my goodness.
And all that great music needs some good visuals too… she delivered.
Also in May got this surprise live performance with Dominic Fike. The gymnastic studio nailing the fun Remi always brings. The visual feel was a taste of what was coming: angles, shots, and colors that started to shape the “Remi Look”.
June 1st we land the big non-album single, Liz. A fan favorite from the live shows for a while, shedding its signature moment, a break-your-speakers scream to kick off the song. Probably nice not to have that on the recorded version but hope to hear it again live one day :) This thing premiered on BBC Radio’s Future Sounds, came with a ‘how it was made’ BTS video on Apple Music, the Remi train gaining some serious steam.
At this point, she’s selling out shows in the UK, while dropping wild live performances left and right. It’s such a joy, I’m constantly floored by every next step. I’ve raved about these shows countless times, but was getting so exciting knowing all these new listeners she’d found were one live song away from diehard fans. These live performances offering just enough to hold me over and (I’m sure) keep everyone interested. There was this one for Spotify, this one for Vans.
The momentum continues through the summer, all boiling up to the first tease of the album, releasing the first single, Liquor Store, on July 20th. It is obviously a SMASH hit, BBC’s Annie Mac names it the hottest record in the world, and I am in heaven. It was a fun first peek at the album. Something me and friends have wondered - how would someone who makes hits only make an album. And well, it felt next-level to me. Still so deeply her, but everything felt bigger. The video agreed as it creates the Juno world. It’s everything I love about Remi, but dialed up into a more ‘professional’ package. Not like suit and tie, just like, more money.
Around the same time, the live shows return. What must have felt like an army of impatient fans just begging to see these songs live. I feel lucky I got to see so much of Remi before the pandemic... But, the clips start rolling in, I start getting FOMO, and see stuff like this that makes me think, ‘hmmm should I figure out a way to fly to one of these shows’?
The next singles Quiet on Set and Grumpy Old Man come out, QoS earning its Maxie nomination almost instantly. I get so excited every time, on the edge of my seat to hear what twisted shit she’s come up with this time, and this one (and all of them) did not disappoint. But this was a standout moment for me, the magic continued.
Then a flurry of wins:
Announces her mini-tour and sold out immediately, lucky to get out of the presale alive, let alone with a ticket in hand. It was all virtual but somehow still felt that intense??
The Cave with Kenny Beats!! I love this show, so to see her and Solomonophonic on it was a dang joy.
QoS and GOM visuals. More content more art more me being stunned at how everything is so good.
Festivals and shows happening, the people are going crazy!! I’m eagerly digging through youtube to get clips and foaming for my first chance to see her.
Guerrilla and Sexy Villian get released, cross-genre stunners that continue to get me so hyped, and music videos to match. To release so many songs and keep up the anticipation is really remarkable.
We reach the end of September and get some big moments (for me). Releasing the Kenny Beats collab, Front Tooth, which has been one of my favorites to date. Lined up back to back with her show at the Roxy on Sep 29th (the day before my birthday, a nice gift imo). I wrote about it last week too - a mind blowing experience to see and feel the difference and growth she’s seen in the last year or two. Brought out Dominic Fike and the crowd went so nuts I don’t think I heard a word he said. Brought up Dijon for a cover of Many Times that will haunt me to my grave. It was a special special moment for me.
Soon after she drops the 2022 tour (will I see anyone at The Fonda Jan 26th and/or 27th???). And all this and the whole ~releasing an album~ thing has yet to happen. But she does and it’s a dang triumph. Juno is amazing, each song as brilliant as it is fun as it is creative as it is unique. The kind of album where I found a new favorite song every week. Lately it’s been Street You Live On but some days I’m a Buttermilk guy. Buzz Me In never loses its charm, I love how Sally transforms. You get the point, I love it all.
And it seems like a lot of other people did too. At the end of October I got to see her live again at Outside Lands. The crowd was losing their minds the entire time and I loved every second of it. I was up close (brag), but when I walked up to the stage during the performance before hers, it was just that, a walk right up to the stage amongst a couple hundred people. Her set ended, I turned around and was sincerely shocked by what must’ve been thousands of people flooding the field. It rocked so much and filled my heart.
Then to wrap up the year after a few more shows, we get the big announcement. If you wanna see Remi after this next run of shows you better be ready to pay up… A dang opening slot on Lorde’s tour. That is absolutely bonkers. Wow.
So The Maxie was an easy choice. What a year it’s been!!! Inspiring in its expanse. Each song/video/moment a gift. A clear artist of the year, and I can’t wait to see what the next few bring too.
Wow. We did it. We made it to the end of The Maxies, and it only took us until mid-January, not bad! Now, you can finally go home. I’m sure your pets and/or children will be grateful you’re back. Thank you for indulging me and please, if you made it this far, give these two a listen and enjoy.
I’ll be back Monday with more discovery. In the meantime, send this along to a friend if you think they’d enjoy. That’d make my freaking day, thanks in advance.
Cheers to 2021, to Dijon, to Remi, and to you,
Max