When one makes the decision to open their heart to another, be it a conscious or unconscious decision, they take the inevitable risk of having their vulnerable form dismissed and abandoned. Maximilian uses this incomparable heartbreak to great effect in his new single, “Long Time Gone”. This talented artist from Brighton added a bit of insightful commentary on this very track:
“This song is quite experimental for me. It’s long and strange structure differs a lot from most songs I’ve written previously. Using synths and a harmonica for the first time was really fun and feels very new. I’m really proud to say I played every instrument on this recording. It’s something I used to try and do, but would always wind up banging my head against the wall in frustration, and I found recording with friends more fun than that, so I stopped. So now, this is my little magnum opus. I’ve had the song for a while, it’s very symbolic to a pivotal time in my life, and it’s really turned out well. I can’t wait to share it.”
The song opens with the gentle strumming of an acoustic guitar and Maximilian’s tenor voice layered in harmony. This soft opening likely represents a reflection in the narrative this song constructs, a quiet moment in which the singer can look back on what led to this quiet moment and come to his assessment that his pain comes from his own willingness to be vulnerable with another:
“Sat beneath the dying sun
in a lonesome world.
Here she comes, and there she goes
now I’m all alone.
And it’s a shame that I went there at all.”
At the end of this stanza, light synths are introduced to the instrumental, laying a foundation in triads. Bit by bit, more instruments start to fill in as our narrator’s thoughts come together and solidify. After a single heartbreak, the singer expresses a feeling of betrayal that runs far too deep for him to have any more faith in actively pursuing love; this, combined with an implication that his lover had left him in his sleep, compels him to instead return to his roots.
“Somewhere, somehow
for such a long time
I was out of my mind.
Love me, leave me
It’s so contrived
and it was all one time.
There in the long run
wading through the long easy nights
I don’t know what you’re hangin’ around for,
disappearing in the dead of the night.
Some things change just like the weather does.”
With the final verse of this stanza, the instrumental suddenly decrescendos to build up to the latter half of this experimental piece: After Maximilian demonstrates his vocal and lyrical abilities, he then demonstrates his virtuosity with an instrumental break. As the music climbs higher and higher, even more synth is added in; an emotive piano and a deep, noisy saw-wave bass thickens this anticipatory sound. After only a breath, the tempo and rhythms suddenly transform from the idle strumming commonly associated with the indie folk genre into a slow, introspective, yet psychedelic sound straight out of the mid-to-late 90’s alt rock scene. The implication that our singer returns to his roots comes from the mostly-repeated lyrics that nearly blend into the music itself at this point:
“Weary’s not the word I’d use anymore, no (x4)
Tell me you’ll wait for me when I get back to where I belong.
Such a long time gone, such a long time (x6)
Such a long time gone.”
As the singer shifts to that final repeated line, the instruments begin tapering off into silence and a soulful harmonica solo carries us back to our original tempo and rhythm. Occasional flourishes on the piano cements this shift into tender blues until the song comes to an abrupt end.
For an experiment in structuring a long-form sonic narrative, Maximilian has done well. While lyrics and vocal performance can convey quite a bit of emotion in even the subtlest of ways, Maximilian’s decision to instead reflect the narrator’s shock, synthesis, catharsis, and acceptance through rhythm and instrumentation makes “Long Time Gone” stand out delightfully among even his own work. The artist’s virtuosity shines in every second of his performance, demonstrating a truly admirable mastery of every instrument used. It is therefore my pleasure to thank all those involved (including producer Bobby Smyth and mixer Yuri Shibuichi), and to wholeheartedly recommend this track to any readers interested in a fresh, exciting blend of musical styles with a raw, retro finish to soothe one’s heartache.
Written by Alexei Lee
