‘Daydreaming In The Dark’ is not your usual record; deeply meaningful and reflective, the album is a striking art piece, a poignant slice of introspection and vulnerability penned by Austin-based songwriter and producer Maxwell Knowles. Out today, the album features ten wonderful pieces wrapped in dreamy, atmospheric tones, a sonic formula that’s highly evocative and hypnotising. Maxwell’s vocals complete the aural picture with charisma and kindness, showcasing the American creative’s dynamic and elegant tone.
Opened with a spoken word effort, ‘A Message in a Bottle’, ‘Daydreaming In The Dark’ tenderly finds its way into the listeners’ hearts, empowering them to practice compassion and to be honest with themselves. Perhaps, that’s the only way to avoid conflict. It’s a powerful message, one that’s especially relevant in our gloomy, intricate times.
Intrigued by the project, we caught up with Knowles to learn more about his artistry and future goals… Interview below!
Hey Maxwell, thanks for chatting with us. I had a careful listen to ‘Daydreaming In The Dark’, and I am pretty impressed with its eclecticism and uniqueness; It’s clear that you are not interested in fitting a certain identity or pursuing trends, instead writing material that’s authentic and meaningful. Am I correct? What’s your ultimate end goal when releasing music?
I appreciate you really listening, and yes, I think that’s right. There are great songs coming out, and I definitely don’t avoid trends — I just integrate what inspires me and can support what I’m doing for a given song, then leave the rest.
Music, of course, is a mode of expression for me, but it’s so much heavier and more meaningful than that. Music can help folks across the globe feel seen, build empathy, and provide language to express themselves in healthy ways, but it requires responsible lyricism, sonic exploration, and an ethos of trust. I make music because I believe I can make positive contributions from my own corner of the human experience, tackling romance, grief, courage, friendship, and mental health in ways that are sonically interesting and even fun.
Your current work is the result of a long journey. What first drew you to making music?
I think I just wanted to participate in making beautiful things, bringing more of what I love into the world if I can. I got into a few popular alternative bands — Coldplay, Imagine Dragons, OneRepublic, Pompeii, etc — in high school, as well as a lot of singer-songwriters, including Mat Kearney, Ben Rector, Josh Groban, and Jon McLaughlin. I heard a lot of piano-heavy music that was also fairly percussive.
It got me to start playing the piano by ear, tinkering, and writing. I also have a form of auditory-visual synaesthesia, so I’ve spent much of my twenties listening to alternative artists who incorporate samples, programmed beats, reverb-heavy guitar, and really colorful synths, including Andrew Belle, James Blake, Bon Iver, The 1975, The Japanese House, and Abby Holliday. This led me to explore production.
You seem to be constantly oscillating between long soundscapes and textures, and more pop-oriented melodies and songwriting. It’s a tension that truly characterises your sound. I’d be interested to know how aural frequencies inspire your writing efforts. What comes first, lyrics or production?
Oh, thanks for noticing! Great question. My brain really loves those colorful, ambient, high-end frequencies, so I love synth and string soundscapes. Those long, bright sounds need sonic and visual contrast, though, so that’s why I often try to get a strong bassline and heavier beats into my productions for depth and pace. I like music to have dimension, moving around my ears and painting in front of my face.
As for what comes first, it varies, but a few lyrics will often come with some melodic idea. From there, I may have other instrumentals I’ve been playing with that can be adapted to the melody and lyrics, but sometimes it’s just a fresh path. I normally will finish the lyrics, finish the skeleton of the production, and then start recording vocals.
As mentioned above, ‘Daydreaming In The Dark’ is your latest album, a collection of poignant, gentle and elegant gems themed around love lost and romantic positivity; There’s obviously a lot to discover in it, from boundary-pushing bits such as ‘A Message In a Bottle’ to traditional ballads such as ‘Heal Holding Hands’. If you were to recommend a short listening guide, what would that be? Is there an appropriate way to listen to the record, and what would you like listeners to take away from it?
That’s a sweet description. I’d find a comfy spot, then just listen to the album tracks in order — ideally in one sitting if you have 33 minutes — and maybe have the lyrics in front of you. They’re on Spotify and my website.
Can you shed some light on your production process? Do you produce and write alone or within a team? Are there any tricks and secrets you swear by?
I’ve written and produced alone so far, more out of necessity and speed than any resistance towards collaboration, and most of my catalogue so far has been mixed through SoundBetter. I’d really like to try writing and producing for other artists, and wouldn’t mind getting some help in the future for myself! The few co-writes and jams I’ve done have gone well.
Thinking about tricks and secrets, one thing I like to do sometimes is add layers to a soundscape every few measures until it gets super lush and full. Then I can mute tracks and explore and iterate all the different places something can go. Playing with those combinations and densities gives me a lot of context for what I’m working with, what’s resonating. From there, I can structure proper sections for a prelude, verse, chorus, etc. At that point, there’s a song, and you can begin making it “yours” from there (adding samples, shifting things slightly up or back, muting bars in some places, vocals, etc).
You mention that the album is inspired by “rediscovering my love for an ex I broke up with”. Do you think the break would have still happened in other circumstances? (Perhaps if you both were more comfortable and in a more positive state). In other words, do you think society and the wider context we live in affect personal relationships and their outcome?
Hmm. Relationships are a two-way street, so I’m reluctant to speculate on what would have happened or what the future could hold, but I do believe that continuously building up your good habits, resilience, trust, and gratitude can only help the quality and longevity of a relationship. And yes, I think society and the wider context — exogenous variables — can absolutely impact relationships in different ways, ranging from cultural acceptance to legality to the health of the environment to economic stress. There’s so much in the world we can’t control, so I want to focus on loving well, receiving love better, and being thoughtful about the things I have the agency to impact for myself, my relationships, and my communities.
Artistically speaking, what challenges have the last two years presented you with?
Two years ago, I wasn’t doing this. I’d tried in spurts in the past, but life had pulled me back, and I’d been very discouraged. So, the first challenge was starting: beginning to consistently write, sing, produce, and play. As a musician, the challenges to overcome were a lack of experience and literacy. I didn’t really know chords, time signatures, or keys. As an entrepreneur, finding ways to get quality photography, video, mixes, and advertising in a financially responsible way on an aggressive timeline has been a journey, but I’ve learned so much about what works (and more of what doesn’t). As an artist, expanding my taste and crafting projects to express a vision has been the fun part!
What are the next steps for your project? Anything exciting on the horizon?
Both the album and the short film for Daydreaming In The Dark come out April 25 — I’m super excited! May and June will bring music videos and remixes to grow the project. From there, I’d like to evolve my live set and put out new songs — sad and happy alike — that hopefully demonstrate maturing production. It’ll be a full year!
