Your fingers grip the steering wheel tightly as you soar down the interstate, the wind whipping through your hair wildly. You nod along to the rhythm as the car stereo blasts overdriven guitars and catchy melodies, heart heavy with something you’d rather not talk about. MAXWELLTHEBAND doesn’t even bother asking; they already understand.
Bursting with riffy pop songs, MWTB is the self-titled release of MAXWELLTHEBAND, based in Northampton, UK. MWTB is their longest release and their second EP, coming in at just under 20 minutes. With an element of 4th-wave emo influence, MAXWELLTHEBAND writes music about mental health, the local scene, and personal fears- all verifiably-emo concepts. The opening line of the EP caught my attention instantly, breaking my heart with its honest relatability:
“I’m not part of the scene anymore / I am nothing but an accomplice / To a screen I abhor / But can’t seem to shake”.
In this line, songwriters Dominic James and Callum Hurst discuss a feeling of alienation that many independent musicians can relate to. In 2026, staying relevant in the music scene seems to be more about managing social media than playing shows. With basement venues closing their doors more often than ever before, this generation is seeing a mass disappearance of third spaces, and the over-digitization of music networking only alienates independent artists further.
Self-deprecation and negative coping mechanisms are a key part of this EP’s imagery. Their lyrics have that unwell, to-hell-with-it attitude that we see so often in emo and pop punk, but MWTB maintains their integrity: the delivery of these words, the catchiness of the music, and the success of the record’s sequencing allow them to transcend edginess for edginess’ sake. For fans of Jeff Rosenstock, PUP, and Pavement, MWTB openly embraces the emo label and wears it with pride.
MAXWELLTHEBAND may “abhor” the screen, but they prove it in their latest merch drop: for only £5, you can hear MWTB on a gold-glitter tape cassette. The EP doesn’t exactly end on a hopeful note, but with the emotional intelligence, bouncy riffs, and mathy influences of emo’s 4th wave, they’ve got a genuinely fun record with no skips- so when it comes to hope, MAXWELLTHEBAND says, “why even bother?”
Written by Hann Sandoz
