'Colour Vision': MAX delivers stellar dance pop record featuring BTS's Suga, Hayley Kiyoko, bbno$ and more
MAX returns with his sophomore album 'Colour Vision', a feel-good electro-dance-pop record that's sure to have people on their feet. Featuring collaborations with bbno$, Hayley Kiyoko, Suga of BTS, and more, this is a solid second outing for one of the most intriguing contemporary pop artistes.
Raised in Woodstock, New York, Maxwell George 'Max' Schneider began performing at the young age of three. By 13 he was a swing understudy in the Broadway musical '13' and modeled with Madonna for an international Dolce & Gabbana campaign, and by 14, he had his first agent. In 2012, the artiste was already collaborating on tracks for Disney and landed a role as Zander on the Nickelodeon television series 'How to Rock'. After a few more collaborations, MAX dropped his debut EP 'First Encounters' in 2010.
Following a tour and a few more singles, MAX dropped his 2016 album 'Hell's Kitchen Angel' featuring the single 'Lights Down Low'. The song would go on to earn double-platinum certifications in the United States and Canada, earning MAX wider recognition and praise. His following single, 'Love Me Less' featuring Quinn XCII, dropped in the summer of 2019 and broke the top 20 at Top 40 Radio. MAX soon earned an iHeart 2019 'Best New Pop Artist' nomination, and not long after, 'Love Me Less' was certified Gold. 2020 saw the release of another single, 'Missed Calls' featuring Hayley Kiyoko, and MAX also featured on 'D-2', a mixtape from Suga of BTS released under his moniker Agust D. After a whirlwind journey, MAX now returns with what is arguably his best work to date on 'Colour Vision'.
MAX's blend of electronica and dance-pop isn't inherently new. But what he does with this sound is certainly noteworthy. 'Colour Vision' is a wonderfully crafted record, one that is bound to make you feel like you're soaring. It's feel-good and calming, yet energizing all at once.
Naturally, 'Blueberry Eyes' featuring Suga is a standout. A huge contrast to the hard-hitting hip-hop of 'D-2', this song is an upbeat track that sees MAX declaring his love for his wife, Emily. Speaking about how the collaboration came about, the singer shared in an interview with Teen Vogue that the decision to collaborate a second time following their team up on 'Burn It' came at a basketball game.
"I showed him a song called 'New Life'. And I had already been working on 'Burn It', and there was this understanding that of course, we’re gonna both be on each other’s projects. So I showed him 'New Life', and he said to me, 'I really like this song, but I can’t really hear my style in it.' So I ended up just sending him the whole album, like, you pick a song, whatever you want. And he ended up really loving 'Blueberry Eyes', which I was kind of pleasantly surprised at. I don’t know which song I thought he was going to pick, but that wasn’t the first song. He just loved it. I’m glad I just gave him the freedom to choose what he responded to the most, because now that the song is what it is, I can’t imagine it without him. It’s special to have another language with the same love, and emotion and sweetness, and tenderness. You can feel it through his version too. What you hear on 'Blueberry Eyes' is exactly the first thing he sent me. I was blown away with it right away, and blown away that he matched the message so perfectly." MAX and his wife went on to learn Suga's verse to the best of their ability, reciting it as their vows during their quarantine wedding.
The influence of Prince, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder — artistes MAX counts as major musical influences — is also evident throughout the record, but never in a way that is overpowering or a flat out imitation. 'Checklist', featuring Chromeo, is one such track, a pop track punctuated by some gorgeously smooth funk. But as fun as these tracks are to listen to, it's songs like 'SOS' that are real standouts, seeing MAX experiment with his musicality and vocals a lot more, delivering a truly rewarding listening experience.
Overall, 'Colour Vision' is true to its name and has MAX delivering his musical vision through a wide-ranging, diverse palette. It has a little something for everyone, yet remains cohesive in its sound. It's the perfect album to turn on if you need a pick-me-up, and that makes it one of the most timely releases in contemporary pop.
'Colour Vision' is out now on digital streaming platforms.