Maxwell Stern is a singer and songwriter living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His musical career began and blossomed in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio at the tail end of the 00’s with his band Signals Midwest. As Signals grew to become one of the tentpoles of Cleveland’s independent music community, Stern’s songwriting prowess grew and his world-traveling continued, with various iterations and projects eventually reaching the UK, Europe, Australia, China, and Japan.
Max’s new 12-song LP, In the Good Light, was released on Los Angeles-based Lauren Records (early home of indie-punk stalwarts such as AJJ, Joyce Manor, and Algernon Cadwallader) on August 9, 2024, and features contributions from members of Ratboys, Magnolia Electric Co., Sincere Engineer, Into It. Over It, and Slaughter Beach, Dog. The twelve tracks comprise a collection of thoughtfully crafted, pop-oriented songwriting filtered through a DIY punk ethos.
In the Good Light finds Maxwell Stern embracing love, tenderness, and authenticity. You can feel it in the performances and collaborations. You can hear it in Max’s voice, in the scenes he captures and the moments he memorializes in his songs. The title track speaks to that authenticity:
I wanna see you in the good light, further out where your hope and home can collide
So sing it out into the steep night, I wanna see you in the good light
Forgot About Me is Rachel Gagliardi’s full-length debut under the name Pouty. The album was written and recorded throughout 2022 in Los Angeles and Philadelphia with the Superweaks’ Evan Bernard and Chris Baglivo. Forgot About Me’s nine tracks speak to a series of realizations about desire, self-sabotage, denial, acceptance, and aging, all set atop fuzzy power pop.
Pouty began in 2013 when Gagliardi and Michelle Zauner (Japanese Breakfast) collaborated on a solo-song-a-day-project. At the time, Gagliardi was one-half of Slutever, whose bratty punk songs continue to captivate new audiences on social media. She later joined Upset, which featured former members of Hole and Vivian Girls. Pouty’s debut EP, Take Me to Honey Island, came out in 2016 and over the following years, Gagliardi shared a handful of EPs and singles including 2021’s “Bambina,” which reflects on the changes that accompany motherhood.
The title of Forgot About Me is a line borrowed from the defiant chorus of album opener “Salty”: “I bet you almost forgot about me.” “It’s an admission to the self that you are struggling with an identity crisis, a nod to past versions of yourself, and the growing pains that come with getting older,” Gagliardi explains. “It also addresses the fear of being left out, of outgrowing places and people, of feeling discarded.” “Salty” underlines Gagliardi’s hunger to step back into her power. “What if you stopped standing in your own way?,” she wonders on “The Big Stage.” Forgot About Me is the answer.
Led by the songwriting powerhouse duo Evan Bernard and Chris Baglivo, The Superweaks evolved from a Philadelphia music collective to a full time band for their first collective EP The World Is A Terrible Place And I Hate Myself And Want To Die. Since then, the band has formed a place in the hearts of the Philadelphia scene through their impressive knack for writing hooks that chew bubble gum and kick ass.
With influences ranging from Weezer to Thin Lizzy to The Ergs, the songwriting team delivers song after song of straight to the point powerful pop backed by the occasional impassioned shout and a healthy tinge of fuzz. The band released their debut LP Bad Year in 2015 on Lame-O Records, which led them to tour with everyone from Brand New and The Get Up Kids to Modern Baseball and Joyce Manor.
On November 4th, 2016, The Superweaks will release their follow up LP Better Heavens, dedicated to the band’s bass player and family member Corey Bernard, who passed away this summer. Artwork on the album, both the cover and further art within the LP come from Corey’s old drawings.
Better Heavens sees some sonic experimentation from The Superweaks, carrying on some of the pop and guitar-rock from their last release, but also finding more dynamic moments throughout. The band softens on track “Diamond Mind,” experiments with synths and vocal effects on “Oh God (We’re All So Miserable Now)” and adds some atmospheric heaviness with “Heavy Dreams” and “Junkie’s Gone To Heaven,” while still delivering great pop hooks on songs like “Better Heavens” and “Glowing.”
