Bacchanalia Magazine

by Reb Jordin

On March 16th Maxine, an indie-folk singer songwriter, released their debut EP ‘Wisteria’. Maxine describes themselves as a mosaic of everyone they’ve ever loved, and that grief is just love with nowhere to go which is a message that perfectly encapsulates this highly vulnerable EP. Even the EP’s title ‘Wisteria’ contributes to the theme of love and grief being intertwined. ‘Wisteria’ takes the listener on a whirlwind journey through the different stages of grief which follow a lost love leaving us to feel seen in a cathartic release by its end.

‘Wisteria’ begins its story with the short song ‘con.stel.la.tion’. The song opens with the calming strum of a guitar and the intimate lyrics, ‘let me breathe your oxygen’ which beautifully reflect the infatuation and longing sides which come with love. Maxine soon moves on too the delicate lyrics, ‘the grass in your yard isn’t so green anymore’ which both contributes to the pastoral imagery which surrounds the whole EP with the marking of the end of the season of warmth and prosperity whilst also conveying the end of a relationship and the beginning of overwhelming sadness.

The listener is then blessed with the song ‘Evergreen’ which lends a complete change in tone to the EP from the tranquil state of the previous song to the now more angsty
atmosphere. ‘Evergreen’ quickly establishes a strong baseline and steady drumbeat which only adds to the grungy feel of the song. Maxine sings the lyrics, ‘don’t you think that it’s strange that you know my favourite songs and I forget the way your voice sounds. Tell me what to do with all these things I know about you’ which mirror how someone can go from being your everything, the sun you orbit around completely enticed by their gravity, to just a distant memory of life as it once was. The listener is then graced with the powerhouse chorus of Maxine calling out to the cosmos their manifestations of healing and self-preservation, ‘I’ll convince myself it’s for the better until I can’t feel you anymore.’ This moment is backed by an electric guitar which really adds to the passion of the song. ‘Evergreen’ closes with the heartbreaking lyrics, ‘I don’t feel you anymore’ which draw the listener into the cyclical structure of a love lost and the pain that comes with trying to heal from it.

The EP moves on to Maxine’s first single ‘Something like this will suffice’ which explores the theme of unanswered questions eating away at you. The single opens with the comforting hum of crickets immersing the listener into the nature which courses through their daydreams. Lyrics like, ‘grow me a garden where every thought of me is a flower. I want to sleep in the grass and wake up when I feel ok again’ convey to the listener the feeling of wanting to hide within the memories of a previous love story to escape the harshness and cruelty or reality. This paints the picture of peering through a window into the mind of another as you crave the knowledge of how strong and genuine their feelings for you were.

The theme of craving the thoughts and feelings of a past love is continued on into the next song ‘Roots (in my mind)’. The song opens with a lone acoustic guitar and is soon followed by the lyrics, ‘your absence is felt so deep I know that everything changes, and this will be better but why can’t I breathe when someone says your name?’ This moment explores how your mind and your heart always seem to want two different things asking the listener if you should go against your better judgements in an ocean of emotions or protect yourself from the inevitable pain which comes from swimming too far? There is a dramatic tempo change from the verse to the chorus which mirrors the chaos of heartbreak. Maxine sings the words, ‘I sometimes hear you in the middle of the crowd and I look around to see if it’s you’ which tells the story of the pain of lost love to the listener.

Listeners are then greeted by Maxine’s second single ‘Mirage’ which begins with a solemn tone. Standout lyrics from the song are, ‘Why can’t I have a hold on you the way you do on me’ which reflect a partner failing to feel the same emotions at the end of a relationship as you do which leads you to question how real the relationship was. Other carefully crafted lyrics which weave the tapestry of this song are, ‘I can’t seem to feel home anywhere I go’ which convey how love can ruin everything even to the extent of your sense of security and where you belong.

‘Wisteria’ draws to a close with the lullaby-like ‘With light’ where Maxine pleads ‘show me how to feel loved’ leaving the listener to resonate with the vulnerable words and reflect on their own life experiences. ‘Wisteria’ closes as calmly as it opened with a delicate melody.

So go and give ‘Wisteria’ a listen and experience the different stages of grieving a love lost which Maxine beautifully conveys throughout the EP to heal from your own personal experiences.