What do you get if you take the gleaming production of The Weeknd, the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ positive energy, and the musical flair of pop stalwarts such as Michael Jackson, using them as inspiration for your music? You get today’s Everything Is Noise premiere!
Chicago-born Liam Maye has spent the past several years honing his sound, along with his production skills since relocating to Bern, Switzerland. Now, his glistening, feel-good pop is ready to take on the world – and with a debut EP due later this year on label Young and Aspiring, we have our first taste of what Maye’s capable of with debut single, “Take It All”.
There’s a maturity in the composition here that belies Maye’s years. At the age of 15, he was writing his first songs on the guitar (an act undertaken and short-lived by many ambitious teenagers); now aged 21, the persistence and growth is clear to the ears. Sultry, emotive synths reverberate deeply in the song’s opening half, while a present, but minimalist percussion relies on the guidance of Maye’s powerful voice to kick the song into motion. Its slumbering build-up gives way to a wash of keys and octave guitar work, offering ample opportunity for his versatile range and pleasant melodies to cut right to the forefront of the track. Oh, and you’ve got to love a harmonious crescendo to end a song.
The combination and clash of countries and cultures has undoubtedly helped carve out Maye’s sound over time; especially alongside the chosen surroundings for his songwriting. Impressively so (for a song of such quality production), “Take It All” was crafted entirely in the warming embrace of his grandparent’s home. The culmination of nighttime labouring, Maye describes the debut single:
‘To me “Take It All” is about learning to trust someone… It’s about giving someone the power to have an impact on your life…about trying to give someone everything and then seeing what they do with it.’
Although no concrete release date – or even title, in fact – has been given for the EP yet, Maye’s confidence performing live is available to experience with a small handful (hopefully set to increase) of shows in Switzerland over the coming months; if you happen to be in the neighbourhood. You can catch him on the following dates:
September 28 – CH – Piccosounds, ZürichOctober 10 – Sound&Sandwich, BernOctober 12 – CH – Gleis1, NänikonOctober 17 – CH – Heimat, BaselOctober 26 – CH – Bühne, ThurtalNovember 2 – CH – Kufa, Lyss
more dates TBC
