Interview with Max Bennett Kelly
We had the pleasure of interviewing Max Bennett Kelly over Zoom video!
Seattle-born/LA-based artist, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Max Bennett Kelly has shared his new single & horror film-inspired music video “2AM,” available to stream now...
We had the pleasure of interviewing Max Bennett Kelly over Zoom video!
Seattle-born/LA-based artist, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Max Bennett Kelly has shared his new single & horror film-inspired music video “2AM,” available to stream now on all DSPs worldwide via AWAL. The song will be included on Max’s debut forthcoming EP Junk Male, out June 23rd. The track was co-written and produced by Lil Aaron and Twenty One Pilots guitarist Dan Geraghty, and also features backing vocals from Lil Aaron.
“2AM” is a love song from a guy who’s addicted to endless arguments and melodrama. In the context of the full EP, it’s the low point at which the narrator realizes what was once a casual relationship is beginning to bring out his worst traits.
“He needs to exit - fast - but before he does, he’s going to throw one last Hail Mary love song and try to salvage the doomed romance,” explains Max. “Except, this isn’t the first time he’s tried. He’s been here before, and he’s not going anywhere soon until he realizes the self-destructive loop he’s caught in.”
The song’s corresponding music video is a tribute to found-footage horror films. Picking up where the “Superinlove” video ends, “2AM” reveals more about the Junk Male cinematic universe. Shot on VHS and played in reverse, we see the events of one fateful witching hour as protagonist Hollywood Thompson disposes of the evidence of his crimes from the short film’s storyline.
Max Bennett Kelly strikes a sweet spot between sticky hooks, unpredictable soundscapes, and cleverly candid storytelling with head-turning lyrics. Amassing tens of millions of streams and earning instant acclaim from fans around the world, he unspools his story on his forthcoming Junk Male EP, its accompanying short film shot entirely on 360 cam, and much more to come.
In 2021, Max shared a snippet of “Happy, Healthy, Well-Adjusted,” and it lit up TikTok. Beyond millions of views, he even caught the attention of NETFLIX who made their own TikTok about it. He picked up steam at DSPs, generating north of 11.4 million Spotify streams and allowing him to focus on music full-time. “I was doing crazy shit to get by,” he laughs. “I was even participating in clinical trials and taking pharmaceutical drugs for money.” Surviving any side effects (that he’s aware of), he maintained his momentum with “Birthday” in 2022 followed by “Always Never Again” and “Broke.” Throughout 2023, he assembled what would become Junk Male. Taking the reins, he personally produced and mixed the project, recording on vintage gear to achieve a definitive vision. At the same time, he opened up lyrically. The EP details the story of a kid chasing his dream. In a twist, this protagonist transforms into very worst and most toxic version of himself in the process, i.e. “Junk Male”—only to double back around a little wiser and more understanding than before.
“I tried to make an authentic 90s album in the 2020s,” Max explains. “I studied all of these classic records. Thematically, it’s a hero’s journey. I heed the call to adventure, find out it kind of sucks, and end up learning about myself. I don’t have to be this Junk Male version of myself anymore. I’m in touch with what’s important to me, what I like, and why I came to L.A. in the first place.”
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