Maximum Love
Maximum Love | |
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Origin | St Albans, England |
Genres | |
Years active | 2014 | –present
Labels |
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Members |
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Website | maximumlove |
Maximum Love are a British electronic music duo composed of brothers Taylor Morgan Howell and Jordan Charles Howell.[1] The brothers began producing music in their childhoods. In 2013, they signed to AWAL and released their debut extended play Midnight Astronaut in 2014. Since then, they have gone on to release EPs, Dead by Dawn (2016) and Vision (2017) and studio albums Under the Shadow (2018), Jupiter (2020) and Apollo (2024). As of 2024, their music has been streamed over 100 million times.[2]
Career
[edit]2011-2018: Early years
[edit]The brothers were brought up in the city of St Albans, England.[3] Their first encounter with music production came as children, playing the videogame Music 2000 on the PlayStation.[4] At first, they had only been making music together for fun. It wasn't until after the writing of "Twin Crimes" in around 2011, that they began to make music seriously, with the youngest member of the band being just 13 years old at the time.[4][5] In late 2013, they pitched a demo of their debut EP Midnight Astronaut to AWAL, which was accepted and eventually released on 26 February 2014 to critical acclaim.[5]
In November 2014, the band released their debut single "We've Just Begun".[6] In summer 2015, the song went viral on Reddit,[7] reaching the front page and topping the charts on the subreddit r/listentothis.[8]
Following the release of singles "Sexy Girl" and "Obey", the band released their second EP, titled Dead by Dawn on 11 March 2016. "Feel Electric" from the EP received European radio support from Radio 105[9] and NPO 3FM.[10] The song also featured a music video with the work of digital artist, Beeple.[11] In November 2016, Maximum Love released the single "They Don't Love You Like I Do",[12] along with an animated music video, using scenes from the short film "The Life of Death" by Marsha Onderstijn.[13][14] The song was featured on Electronic Gems.[15] In December 2016, they released their single "Vision" in lead up to their EP of the same name, Vision, which they announced on 27 January 2017. Their first live performance was in London, headlining the Outland Sunset Neon Cruise in September 2018.[16]
2018-2020: Under the Shadow and Jupiter
[edit]In March 2018, Maximum Love released a trailer for an untitled fourth EP.[17] However, soon after, the EP was scrapped. Instead, on 22 July 2018, they announced their debut album Under the Shadow, which released a month later on 24 August 2018.[18] "Dream Getaway" from the album was featured on Electronic Gems[19] and received radio support from Triple R's Mixed Signals[20] and national support from BBC Radio 1Xtra on DJ Complexion's Future Wave Show.[21] The song was also named in Complexion's "Best of 2020" compilation.[22] Despite no singles being released, "Red Lights" from the album peaked at #1 on the iTunes chart in Estonia and #26 in Italy.[23] Whilst "Starfields" reached #56 in the United States Electronic chart.[24]
In January 2020, Maximum Love released the single "Let Go",[25] shortly followed by the release of their second album titled, Jupiter on 31 January 2020.[26] The album peaked at #3 in Canada on iTunes.[27]
2020-present: Apollo
[edit]In October 2021, the band released the single "Sometimes" on Manta Recordings. The single received radio support from XHUIA-FM[28] and also included a remix from Grammy award-winning artist, Latroit,[2] which received radio airplay from KCRW[29] and was premiered by Electronic Groove[30]
On 3 May 2022, Maximum Love released a teaser trailer on social media announcing their new single titled, "Forever",[31] which released worldwide exactly one month later, on 3 June 2022. The song was featured on several popular music channels[32][33] and was described by Visual Atelier 8 as a "dark, spacey ballad".[34] On 25 November 2022, the band released the single "Feeling It".[35]
On 17 February 2023, they released a new single titled "Dead to Me"[36], followed by other singles "Heavy Lies the Crown" on 9 June 2023[37] and "A Star Will Rise" on 12 January 2024.[38]
In October 2024, Maximum Love released a teaser announcing their new album, Apollo,[39] which subsequently released a month later on 8 November 2024. The album was noted for its introspective themes, while blending elements of synthwave, dark wave, and electronic pop. Critics have highlighted Apollo’s exploration of new sonic territory for the band. The duo themselves have characterized the album as an attempt to "capture the raw energy and emotion" of their decade-long career while also exploring new creative directions.[40] Reception to the album was mostly positive and generally acknowledged its ambition and depth, though opinions have varied on the impact of its more reflective tone compared to their earlier work.[40][41]
Artistry
[edit]Style and influences
[edit]Maximum Love's sound has been described by DMC World magazine as "combining classic 80's influences and evocative, melancholic vocal lines with hazy retrospective soundscapes"[3] The brothers have said that they use analogue instruments such as the Roland Juno-106 synthesiser and vocoders in the production of their music, and cited Daft Punk as an early influence.[3] Regarding the genre of the band, the brothers have said in an interview: "many people say that we’re electro or synthwave. You probably could categorise us as that, but to be honest, we don't even know... we’re just making noise that we think sounds good." and explaining further that, "[their sound] is a huge concoction of different things melted into one"[42]
In other media
[edit]In 2021, several of Maximum Love's songs were featured as part of the soundtrack for cyberpunk RPG videogame, The Ascent.[43] Their contribution to the soundtrack received praise from critics.[44] Their song "Loaded Gun" was also used in the Nvidia RTX reveal trailer for the game.[45] Maximum Love's music has received frequent usage on videos and livestreams by YouTube streamer, Dr Disrespect.[46][47][48] Including a promotional video in collaboration with Ubisoft for the release of the videogame, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint.[49]
Discography
[edit]Studio albums
[edit]Title | Album details |
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Under the Shadow |
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Jupiter | |
Apollo |
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Extended plays
[edit]Title | Album details |
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Midnight Astronaut |
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Dead by Dawn |
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Vision |
|
Singles
[edit]Title | Year | Label | Format | Album |
---|---|---|---|---|
"We've Just Begun" | 2014 | AWAL | Digital download, streaming | Dead by Dawn |
"Sexy Girl" | Non-album single | |||
"Obey" | 2015 | Dead by Dawn | ||
"They Don't Love You Like I Do" | 2016 | Vision | ||
"Vision" | ||||
"I Still Believe" | 2017 | Non-album single | ||
"Let Go"
(including B-side "Ataraxia") |
2020 | Jupiter | ||
"Sometimes"
(including Latroit remix) |
2021 | Manta | Apollo | |
"Forever" | 2022 | AWAL | ||
"Feeling It" | ||||
"Dead to Me" | 2023 | |||
"Heavy Lies the Crown" | ||||
"A Star Will Rise" | 2024 |
Compilation albums
[edit]Title | Album details |
---|---|
Maximum Love Collection: Volume I |
|
Remixes
[edit]- Alexis Kings - Surrender (Maximum Love remix) (2022)[56]
References
[edit]- ^ "Writer credits". YouTube. 31 January 2020.
- ^ a b Cristian, Alex (30 October 2021). "British synthwave duo Maximum Love debuts on Manta Recordings with "Sometimes"". EDM Nations. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ a b c "Maximum Love". DMC World Magazine. 29 October 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ a b Bhanawat, Akshay (1 November 2021). "Maximum Love Interview: New Record, Early Influences & More". The Music Essentials. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ a b "INTERVIEW: Maximum Love". Chromatic Club. 30 October 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ We've Just Begun - Single by Maximum Love, 14 November 2014, retrieved 20 April 2022
- ^ "r/listentothis - Maximum Love - We've Just Begun". Reddit. 7 July 2015.
- ^ "Maximum Love - So apparently this happened on Reddit last night.. Ranked #1 on /r/listentothis & /r/outrun Ranked #45 on Reddit front page. Thanks so much you guys, this is crazy!". Facebook. 8 July 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
- ^ "Radio 105 - Puntata Sabato 28 Maggio 2016" [Radio 105 - Episode Saturday 28 May 2016]. Mixcloud (in Italian). 28 May 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
- ^ "Soundcharts - Netherlands airplay - "Feel Electric" by Maximum Love". soundcharts.com. 23 May 2016. Archived from the original on 17 November 2022. Retrieved 17 November 2022. Alt URL
- ^ Maximum Love - Feel Electric, retrieved 21 April 2022
- ^ They Don't Love You Like I Do - Single by Maximum Love, 4 November 2016, retrieved 21 April 2022
- ^ They Don't Love You Like I Do (Music Video), retrieved 21 April 2022
- ^ "The Life of Death". Vimeo.
- ^ Maximum Love - They Don't Love You Like I Do (Electronic Gems), retrieved 21 April 2022
- ^ "Outland Sunset Neon Cruise". Resident Advisor.
- ^ Maximum Love - EP 4 | Facebook, retrieved 21 April 2022
- ^ "UTS, album announcement". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
- ^ Maximum Love - Dream Getaway (Electronic Gems), retrieved 22 April 2022
- ^ "Programs: Mixed Signals – 2 September 2019, Mixed Signals — Triple R 102.7FM, Melbourne Independent Radio". Triple R. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
- ^ "BBC Radio 1Xtra - 1Xtra's Cosmic Wind Down, Future Wave with Complexion, Feel the wave of new R&B and electronic music". BBC. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
- ^ The Future Beats Show - The Best of 2020 Podcast – via Audible.
- ^ "iTunes Charts - Maximum Love "Red Lights" - International Chart Performance". soundcharts.com. Archived from the original on 2 November 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022. Alt URL
- ^ "iTunes Charts - Maximum Love "Starfields" - International Chart Performance". soundcharts.com. Archived from the original on 2 November 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022. Alt URL
- ^ Let Go - Single by Maximum Love, 10 January 2020, retrieved 10 June 2022
- ^ a b "Jupiter by Maximum Love". Apple Music. 31 January 2020.
- ^ "iTunes Charts - Maximum Love Jupiter- International Chart Performance". soundcharts.com. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
- ^ "En vivo FM: música alternativa" [Live FM: alternative music]. XHUIA-FM (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 26 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023. Alt URL
- ^ "SiLVA on KCRW, November 5, 2021". KCRW. 5 November 2021. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2022. Alt URL
- ^ "Maximum Love - Sometimes (Latroit Remix) - Manta Recordings". Electronic Groove. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
- ^ "Forever - Single teaser/announcement". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- ^ Forever on EDM Bot, retrieved 13 June 2022
- ^ Forever on Distraction, retrieved 13 June 2022
- ^ Núñez, Fernando. "Maximum Love - "Forever" and interview". Visual Atelier 8. Archived from the original on 19 August 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2022. Alt URL
- ^ "Feeling It by Maximum Love". Spotify. 25 November 2022.
- ^ Dead to Me - Single by Maximum Love on Apple Music, 17 February 2023, retrieved 18 November 2024
- ^ "Heavy Lies the Crown - Maximum Love". Amazon Music.
- ^ A Star Will Rise, 12 January 2024, retrieved 18 November 2024
- ^ "Apollo Teaser". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
- ^ a b Conway, Sarah. "Maximum Love drops new album 'Apollo'". Plastic Magazine.
- ^ Alo, Gonz (8 November 2024). "More Love for Everyone! A review of Maximum Love's album "Apollo"". EDM Reviewer. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
- ^ "An interview with Maximum Love". Who Music Magazine. 30 October 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
- ^ "The Ascent (2021) credits". MobyGames. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ Rodríguez, David Vigón. "Análisis de The Ascent para XONE: ¡Oh, no, el Grupo Ascensión ha quebrado!" [The Ascent Review for XONE: Oh no, the Ascension Group has gone bankrupt!]. uVeJuegos.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ The Ascent | Official GeForce RTX Reveal Trailer, retrieved 20 April 2022
- ^ Doc and TimtheTatMan keep on GIVING!, retrieved 20 April 2022
- ^ Dr DisRespect - YouTube Stream #3 - Doc Plays Fall Guys, retrieved 20 April 2022
- ^ Maximum Love - An honour to be featured on @drdisrespect..., retrieved 20 April 2022
- ^ DrDisrespect's FIRST IMPRESSIONS on Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, retrieved 20 April 2022
- ^ "Under the Shadow by Maximum Love". Apple Music. 24 August 2018.
- ^ Maximum Love (8 November 2024). Maximum Love - Apollo | Full Album. Retrieved 17 November 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Midnight Astronaut by Maximum Love". iTunes. 26 February 2014.
- ^ "Dead by Dawn EP". Apple Music. 11 March 2016.
- ^ "Vision EP". Juno Records. 27 January 2017.
- ^ "Maximum Love Collection Volume I (12" Vinyl)". maximumlove.co.uk. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
- ^ ""Surrender" remix announcement". Instagram. 26 February 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2022.