Review: Kill Time by Maximilian

Photography by Freddie Watts.

Kill Time is the latest release from Brighton songwriter Maximilian.

Growing up in Jersey shaped not only Maximilian’s songwriting, but also his passion for music through the bargains of local record shops, driving him to perform in bands on the island.

As we all grow older, the time comes when we move away from home, and for Max, that new home became Brighton, where he collaborated with and supported acts such as Martha Eve and Porchlight.

Max recorded the track in his adopted home of Brighton in various houses over a couple of years. With help from Jamie Broughton (Slant) contributing on brass, drums, and glockenspiel, as well as sister Emmy Broughton on the harp, the single was mastered by Felix Davis at Metropolis who has worked with the likes of The Big Moon, Porridge Radio and Easy Life.

Named Kill Time, the new track showcases the artist’s Eliot Smith influences, with soft harmonised vocals building during the verses before transitioning to a change in pace, with distorted guitar and vocals breaking through on the chorus.

The other elements of this track, however, nod towards other influences from the likes of Mitski and Blondshell, with swelling crescendos and a sudden diminuendo at the end that helps bring home the meaning of the track.

“This song took over a year to write and I never liked it until one day it was my favourite,” said Max. “This song weirdly sort of predicted my future. Or I manifested what I wanted and what I was writing about.”

The single is about the anxieties of the early stages of love, and Max showcases these hard emotions through the large build-ups and use of instrumentation. In the words of the Brighton singer, Kill Time promises to fill listeners with “some main character energy while walking through town hungover”, and this track definitely achieves that.