We've all been longing for better days... Now it seems like they're finally on the horizon.

'Better Days' is a driving alt-rock song, contrasting the solitude of covid days with hope for better things on the horizon.

Better Days

"I'm most alive when I'm far from home..." 

This song revels in the feeling of being far from home, traveling and experiencing new horizons.

Far From Home

Taking inspiration from the novel 'The Grapes of Wrath' by John Steinbeck, this song recounts the hopes and trials of a family leaving destitute lives in the Dust Bowl and setting off for California.

Shake Off The Dust

Sometimes you need to burn it all down and start fresh. This song is about the power of creative destruction and finding freedom in the transience of life.

Arsonist's Code

"Now, I've got you standing next to me
We're becoming who we're meant to be
Through animus and entropy
And disarray...
All the pieces fall in place"

I wrote this song as I was closing out two years living and teaching English in South Korea. It poured out of me as a way to encapsulate all I had experienced and grown throughout the journey.

Seasons Change

'Sonder' is the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own. This song, inspired by my nighttime walks through mountain parks in Seoul, reflects on the idea of sonder.

Sonder Song - Single

Sonder Song

The Audacity is my personal manifesto. It encapsulates all that I've experienced and learned on my travels, and the wisdom and self-assurance I have moving forward. 

"Just once or twice I will forgive you all for asking me,
Who the hell are you, and what gives you the audacity?
I am Max Mandu, and I've got The Audacity..."

The Audacity - Single

The Audacity

Malachi is a bit of a metaphor for our times. I wrote this song as the coronavirus pandemic was sweeping the world. When the future is uncertain and guidance is nowhere to be found, you find yourself questioning the silence from above.

Malachi

My lofi / acoustic cover of Twenty One Pilots 'Level of Concern'

Level of Concern - Acoustic Cover

This is a song for the dreamers. The hustlers. Anyone working to prove themselves against all odds. Anyone facing a Trial By Fire.
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I wrote 'Trial By Fire' at the start of summer 2019. I had just moved to Ocean City Maryland, where it was my mission to busk on the boardwalk all summer.
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While it was exhilarating, it was also a big leap of faith. At first, I didn't know how my housing, money, and motivation would play out over the summer.
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But it was something I knew I had to do. To delve into music and live as the purest form of myself, even if only for a summer.

Trial By Fire

This is the perfect song to listen to while looking out a train window, watching the scenery fly past. Or returning to drive the streets of your hometown, years after having moved on.

I present to you "See The Stars," my newest original single!

It's actually one of the oldest songs I've written. I was recently struck with the urge to retouch and record it in full studio sound. Let it take you back to a simpler, younger time in your head, even if just for a moment.

See The Stars

Charlottesville based singer-songwriter. I write driving, contemplative rock inspired by a life of travel and seeking the wonder in everyday life.

Max Mandu

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