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Austin, Texas’ Max Frost has been making waves ever since releasing his song “White Lies” online. Newly signed to Atlantic Records, Frost is now on tour with Gary Clark Jr. and set to release his new EP Low High Low on October 8th. GroundSounds recently caught up with Max to discuss his background, his EP, and more!
GS: How did you get started in music? Was there a moment that you can remember when you knew that making music was what you wanted to pursue?
MF: Music was always sort of a present thing in my life, so there was never a specific moment. Even when I was a little kid, it was always my fascination. It’s just what I’ve been doing my whole life.
I really like your sound because I feel like it’s so much more creative and unique than a lot of what’s out there right now. How did you arrive at your sound?
It was really through a journey through a lot of different genres. I started in blues and old school rock as a foundation and kept learning other styles and stretching as an artist into other things. By the time I really started writing songs I was into hip-hop and electronic sound so that all contributed to the weird hybrid thing I have going on right now.
Your new EP Low High Low comes out on October 8th. What would you say inspired these songs from a lyrical perspective?
I always try to write from a sort of continuous emotional place. There’s only one song in there that was from a specific narrative. I write mostly less from a narrative and more from an emotion and a feeling. So it’s not so much about lines and details but how the feeling translates in the bigger context of the song.
Your single “White Lies” reached #1 on Hype Machine twice. How did that song come together and were you surprised by the overwhelming reaction to it?
I thought at the time that it was probably one of the better songs I had ever made, but I didn’t really know what to expect as far as the reaction. It came from the same place as a lot of songs I was writing in Venice around the same time. I knew it had something different about it but never thought that it was going to be the main spearhead for this whole thing.
I also want to ask you about the song “Suspended Animation,” which is one of my favorites. I’m always curious in how a song begins. How did that song begin? Did you have a melody in mind or a lyric or line?
That one I wrote very recently, and the first thing that came was the first beat that came through. I was working with my co-producer and showed it to him and we started working on the song together. We finished it in about a day. That’s definitely the newest song that’s on that EP.
Where did the idea for the video for “Suspended Animation” come from and how long did it take to make that video?
I couldn’t take any credit for the video. The artist that I work with, Orlando Sanchez, was awesome. He had already done time-lapse in the past and since he was already doing the cover we filmed him continually painting it.
I think it took him at least two or three days. He has a process where he just paints and paints and paints. You can see in the time-lapse how many layers he is doing. I think it took at least three days.
What are you most looking forward to about your upcoming tour with Gary Clark Jr.?
I’m mainly just looking forward to getting up there and playing in front of people who I think will relate to my music. I feel like Gary’s fan base is the right kind of audience to be up in front of and hopefully make a connection with.
I want to ask you about being from Austin. It’s built up a reputation as a major hub of American music. Why do you think music thrives there?
I really don’t know. I think a little bit of it is the history, I think a little bit of it is the social economics of that place—how it has always had roots in music and attracted a lot of creative people. It’s been a really fast-growing city and there has just been a lot of great players there. South By Southwest really wasn’t that big of a deal early on, but all that stuff just blew up so big. That’s really been at the core of Austin having such a great music reputation. It must be in the water or something, hah.
How did you get connected with Atlantic Records? How has that experience been so far?
I connected with them after there was a surge online for “White Lies.” I got in touch with some A&R people from a couple different labels and narrowed it down to Atlantic. So far it’s been great, it’s been a lot of getting used to the pace of the major label schedule but so far it’s been great and I’m looking forward to what else is ahead.
What is coming up next for you after the tour?
I’ll definitely be putting out an LP sometime in the Spring, probably between March and May and will continue to play and tour as much as I can.
Upcoming Tour Dates:
OCTOBER
5 Austin, TX Austin City Limits Music Festival*
10 Salt Lake City, UT The Depot
11 Denver, CO Ogden Theater
12 Austin, TX Austin City Limits Music Festival*
NOVEMBER
11 Boston, MA Royale
12 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
16 New York, NY Terminal 5
20 Minneapolis, MI First Avenue
22 Indianapolis, IN The Vogue Theatre
23 Columbia, MO The Blue Note
Max Frost – “White Lies”
