A question: why do so many budding Aotearoa musicians move to Australia? An answer: opportunities. Networking and opportunities.
For D.C. Maxwell, who crossed the ditch — from Auckland to Melbourne — last year, the move led to working with some impressive collaborators on his new single “Golden Light”.
Harriette Pilbeam, better known as dream pop singer-songwriter Hatchie, provides backing vocals, while Stefan Blair, one half of Good Morning, guests on glockenspiel and piano. That’s good company to keep.
Melbourne has quickly rubbed off on Maxwell, with the accompanying music video for “Golden Light” being a distinctly DIY affair, recorded illegally on a rooftop in Preston. (Rolling Stone AU/NZ does not condone any artist recording videos via illegal means.*)
The rooftop, as the sun slowly fades on the horizon, is the ideal setting for Maxwell’s tortured tale of loving someone deeply in a world on the verge of collapse, the traditional love song upended.
“The song speaks to the other, darker side of romantic love,” he explains. “The fear and anxiety that what you share with another person can end, and the lack of control we have in protecting the person we love. I wanted to show that in the current upheavals of climate and political chaos, darkness is just as common as light when it comes to romance.”
Maxwell has released two songs this year, “Golden Light” and “Jesus’ Son”, and both point to an interesting artistic development for the Kiwi musician.
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His well-received debut album, Lone Rider, positioned him as a writerly storyteller in the vein of Father John Misty, Tom Waits, or Nick Cave, its tracks filled to the brim with memorable characters and strange narratives.
His two comeback singles, however, seem more focused on attitude and atmospherics, songs indebted to ’90s alternative rock — all grit and grunge and general moodiness; watching him gyrate through his DIY video, it’s clearly a style that suits him. (Bonnie Knight, producer of Amyl and the Sniffers and Body Type, working on “Golden Light” has certainly augmented this change.)
Moving to Australia can also lead to major industry showcases, and Maxwell is one of the acts booked for Rolling Stone House at SXSW Sydney, a huge house party taking over the Lord Gladstone Hotel on Thursday, October 16th. Playing alongside headliner DZ Deathrays and fellow support acts like Jamaica Moana and Charlie Pittman, Maxwell should be ready to show why his charismatic live persona has helped him secure previous support slots for Future Islands and Alex Cameron.
Kiwi fans of his won’t have to fly all the way to Sydney to see his new era up close: he’s returning to the homeland for his first headline show in over two years on October 25th at Double Whammy, where he’ll be supported by Sulfate and Groopchat.
Maxwell’s first album earned a Taite nomination for Best Independent Debut, and Lone Rider also made it into our Best New Zealand Albums of 2023 countdown.
“His lyrical style lies somewhere between Townes Van Zandt, Nick Cave, and Chris Knox in the tracks on his debut album, Maxwell conjuring vivid narratives from all corners of society. Auckland has an experimental alt-country artist to be reckoned with in the coming years. The leading man has arrived,” we praised.
D.C. Maxwell’s “Golden Light” is out now.
*Except if it looks as cool as the “Golden Light” video.
