Maxwelltheband set to release a new EP

Maxwelltheband, based in Southampton and featuring a Gibraltarian bassist, is set to release their new EP this October.

The band took shape in 2018 when Callum Hurst and Dominic James met.

At the time, Dominic had just emerged from his band Scarecrow Boat, alongside Tom Longwater, and upon meeting Callum the idea for a new band quickly formed.

Callum then brought Gibraltarian David Anderson into the fold.

They had known each other for several years after working together at a cinema and later shared a house in Southampton. Although David had never played bass, he learnt fast and joined the band.

Drummer Tom Webb proved a natural fit, later relocating to Brighton, with occasional support on drums from Longwater for select performances.

Today the lineup is Dominic James on vocals and guitar, Callum Hurst on vocals and guitar, David Anderson on bass, and Milton Keynes native Tom Webb on drums, with Tom Longwater from Basingstoke stepping in at times.

“We’re a self-described emo band,” Callum said.

“There’s some pretty singing, there’s some horrible screaming.”

“Dom and I had pretty similar music tastes growing up. We were both heavily into bands like Modern Baseball, Sorority Noise, PUP and American Football.”

“That being said, although there are loads of bands we collectively love like Deftone, Title Fight and Weezer, we’ve all had fairly different influences.”

“David has some pretty strong indie influences, whereas I grew up listening to a lot of music that my dad was into like AC/DC and Black Sabbath, but he also introduced me to more alternative bands like Ash.”

“I took this and ran with it, discovering bands like Pixies and Pavement. It all kinda coalesces into Maxwelltheband.”

Their highly anticipated EP is scheduled for release in October and is largely autobiographical and driven by Dominic’s songwriting drawing on personal experience.

“I guess it’s about writing what you know, and finding a way to make a catchy chorus on it,” Callum said.

“Dom tends to flesh out an idea, and then I come in with extra stuff like funky sounds.”

The record was produced in Brighton with Tidal Wave Recordings, run by Sam Allen and Alessandro Cogolo of the band Prom.

The band has developed a close, creative relationship with them over the years. Internally dubbed “the maximalist EP,” the project pushes the band into uncharted territory, adding instruments and styles they have never tackled before.

“There are loads of layers of synth on this one, as well as some violin,” Callum said.

“These were all new experiments for us, but I think they work for what we are trying to do.”

Recording took place in an abandoned, derelict gym. Its eerie atmosphere left an impression on the tracks, and Callum believes the spookiness bled into a couple of them.

He added that his dog, Poppy, also has her voice on this EP.

“That was pretty special,” Callum said.

As Maxwelltheband prepare to bring their new music to audiences in October, Callum said: “The shows are my favourite, part of being in Maxwelltheband, they always have been and I think they always will be.”

“Our shows tend to be pretty silly, we don’t take things too seriously and we like to keep it pretty loose.”

The band loves going to Brighton, which feels like a second home to them.

“We got so many friends in that city, and the shows are always great. I am always excited to go back,” he added.

The band has faced few challenges so far, most notably “time and money”.

“We’ve been lucky in that we’ve not had a whole bunch of adversity to overcome,” Callum said.

“We’ve got the same problems as any other DIY band in the country. It’s basically a time and money thing.”

“Playing this kind of music will never be a full-time job, so setting time and money aside to go on the road can be tricky. We wouldn’t do it unless we loved it, though.”

They are inspired by the band Weezer and this has come through in their music.

“Everyone always thinks we’re joking when we say we’re die-hard Weezer fans, but it is true, it’s not a bit,” he said.

“They’ve just got everything you could ever want in a band, loud guitars, beautiful intricate songwriting, catchy pop choruses, what’s not to like?”

“Recently though, we’ve all definitely started listening to more electronic and pop music. I’ve not stopped listening to the newest Confidence Man record since it dropped last year, I’m desperate to see them live.”

Maxwelltheband’s goal is to do an album and play some shows in Europe.

The band will be performing in Bristol, Southhampton and Brighton next month.

To follow their journey, follow them on Instagram: @maxwelltheband