EP Name: The Game
Artist: Joe Maxi
Released: November 2024
Rating: 7/10
Tracklist
Shift
The Game
Butterfly
There's Still Time
One of Ireland's most exciting newcomers, Joe Maxi show off their evolutionary alt-punk style with their debut four-track EP 'The Game'. Joe Maxi have quickly made a reputation as one of Ireland's most explosive live acts. With only a handful of singles and their debut EP out in the world, the four-piece have already gained over 2,000 monthly listeners on Spotify alone. The bands headline show at the Bello Bar, Dublin, even saw punters turned away at the door due to overcrowding. These guys are doing something different and people are clearly loving it. The debut EP 'The Game', is packed with musical complexity, as a whole the EP manages to feel completely other worldly, blending elements of heavy guitar music, spoken word and breakbeat. 'The Game' is simultaneously frightening and unsettling one moment while being euphoric and atmospheric the next. If you're looking for a bit of a bonkers alt-punk track that's heavily bass driven, then opener 'Shift' will be perfect for you. This one pulled my attention to the EP instantly, it's got the loud intensity of a punk track but also gives way for a few little groovy, almost blues rock guitar moments. Vocally it's got that rough edged spoken word type style that's present in most of Joe Maxi's songs, in 'Shift' this creates a really unusual but very enticing contrast. Second up on the track list is the quirky sort of stoner rock style 'The Game', this one will pull you straight out of reality and have you feeling like you stepped into some uncanny valley type simulation. I couldn't help but feel like something was wrong while listening to this track but it was done so purposefully and controlled that it proves how talented Joe Maxi are as artists. The ability to combine that weird feeling with the heavy laden fuzzy guitar riffs is very cool and made this one of my favourite, if not my favourite track on 'The Game' EP. 'Butterfly' is a track I have previously reviewed when it came out as a single in October. I said it before but I'll say it again there's an infectious sort of charm about this one. It's experimental and a little frantic, it stands out as the loudest and the most common punk sounding on the EP. The guitars and drums drill away while the vocals scream over the top with a rawness that's unmatched. Closing the four-track EP is 'There's Still Time', this one opens up feeling more relaxed than anything that came before it. Feeling like it's taken straight from another world the guitars create an atmospheric space that's then complimented by that spoken word vocal style which seems to have become a signature for Joe Maxi. At times I thought 'There's Still Time' leaned towards a classic alt rock sound delivering heavier feeling guitars, yet it never lost that other worldly feeling even as it progressed in speed and intensity. Joe Maxi have created an EP that is so unusual but also absolutely addictive. Each track is so different giving listeners a completely new story and sound to consume, yet it all fits together. I can understand why these guys have become so popular so quickly, they're delivering a new sound and not only that but they have an energy that's impossibly not to vibe with.
'The Game' (Official Music Video)
Listen to 'The Game' EP HERE
Joe Maxi are
Mikey Fowler - Vocals & Guitar Lee Reddy - Lead Guitar Louis White - Drums Jamie Lydon - Bass
Joe Maxi online
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