Max Green’s latest single “Eyes Closed” just dropped and it will take you on a groovy psychedelic trip through your breakup. The seemingly sad song about the end of a relationship takes a new turn with the upbeat instrumentals and atmospheric synths. It will actually have you feeling good about moving on. But it will also remind us of the hard truths that come with the end. He sings “Could I hurt you enough to love me back / such a shame that the feeling never lasts.” As much as we want to hold on to the past, we have to go forward.
There is a sunny music video accompanying the single. Green is sitting at a yard sale selling all of his exes baggage. “Eyes Closed” is the first single off his upcoming EP. We look forward to seeing what other worlds he created for us. We got to talk to the heart-broken singer-songwriter about what home means to him, working on the music video, and writing “Eyes Closed.”
What sparked the idea for “Eyes Closed”? What was the writing process like?
“Eyes Closed” started as your quintessential breakup song. It’s about integrity, losing someone, and ultimately getting to know yourself more. The song highlights the unfortunate ways we tend to hurt the ones closest to us, however I wouldn’t say it’s entirely a sad song as it presents the reality that losing love is all a natural part of growing as an individual.
What was it like shooting the music video? How did you come up with the concept?
The music video was such an experience to develop a vibe and aesthetic in accordance with the vision of the talented director Victoria Innocenzi and videographer Matthew Fitzpatrick. To me there’s a sense of irony to the song and we wanted to hone on that concept with a deadpan Napoleon Dynamite-influenced alternate reality in which the vibe of the song could exist. We had a stellar crew working on this production, and I sweat gallons shooting in the valley in the summertime haha.
Where do you go or what do you do when you’re looking for inspiration?
I often find myself writing reflecting on a point of my life a few years back. Almost as if I need to process the experience and express the feeling through song after the fact. Relationships, ruminating emotional concepts, and the constant journey of getting to know yourself are all relevant writing centerpieces to me. Physically, I write at my studio in Echo Park most days. The space is such an important part of my workflow and I adore my creative home away from home.
Where is home and how do you carry it with you?
Home for me is songs. Whenever I start to feel lost or misguided, coming back to music is the most reaffirming construct of my life.
Dream collaboration?
It would be difficult to hone this down to one as I am in love with all sorts of music. But I would love to have written a song with Jeff Buckley when he was alive. Would also be a dream to be in the room with The 1975 and witness their creative process. The new record from hyperpop artist Glaive has been on repeat for me and I would love to work with him.
What are you looking forward to?
Overall, it’s daunting, but infinitely exciting to get this solo endeavor off the ground and start releasing Max Green music. It’s been a joyous ride releasing as a collaborative artist, but it feels like the right time to pursue this with music that is most representative of me as an artist and songwriter. My first EP comes out this fall and I can’t wait to share this collection of songs with much more to follow after that.