Out now on all major streaming platforms: linktr.ee/stripedmccoy

---LYRICS---

Move too slow
they won't let go

My fathers, can you hear me
you're getting very cold
holding onto what of the world you were told

Clutching your brittle strings you're a puppet full of lies
avoiding your gaze to hide all the bodies that lie
under your tapestry of promises to hide
the greed that you thrive on is the way you survive

my fathers, can you hear me
you're getting very cold
holding onto what of the world you were told

move too slow
they won't let go
move too slow
they won't let go

Buy on Bandcamp

Cold

Dissonant Flames

This song is the result of a game of 'musical round robin'. We had 6 people participate, Pelican Beats, A A L I, Dreams of Lasers, Latin Shui, Egzakt SoundMusical Round Robin is a game where each player takes turns adding stems to a track.

Melody :: Pelican Beats  https://linktr.ee/pelicanbeats
Second Melody :: Portijon https://open.spotify.com/artist/4u3CFMdgAgEOxHvCFKANV1?si=eB0nHQIaSb-zEKzp9HnABg
Vocals :: A A L I https://linktr.ee/_.acidbum._
Drums :: Egzakt Sound https://soundcloud.com/zach-zaxophone-thomas
Bass :: Dreamsoflasers  https://linktr.ee/dreamsoflasers
Mixing/Mastering :: Latin Shui https://linktr.ee/latinshui

No Good (Ft Pelican Beats, A A L I, Dreams of Lasers, Latin Shui, Portijon, Egzakt Sound)

Made for Life's Everyday Soundtrack, a fun event @soranleif heads up every month where he gives a group of producers 3 stems that must be incorporated into a track. The rest is up to you. Special thanks to Soran and David Petty Music @user-24405761 for the stem work!

Check out LES Volume 6 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvL8kTSkINs

Latest version: 8.2.20 (remastered mix, added saturation to basslines, fixed some vocal issues, added about 30 more seconds to the end).

Diary Of A Cephalopod In Crisis

Hello my friends,

When creating this track, I wanted to establish the feel of someone that is searching for the love of their life. When we are in a relationship with someone, we hope that that person is our soul mate but most of the times its just a glimpse into what we are searching for because things fall apart for various reasons. This track is about that search and yearning to find that special someone.

With this track, I feel I've leveled up a bit when it comes to sound quality of a mix. I decided to take a more subtle approach with the sound design and honestly, I feel it paid off in spades. 

I hope you are doing amazing! If you've found the love of your life, hold onto them with everything you have. If you haven't, they are out there and when you finally meet, it will be absolutely fantastic. Until next time my friends!

With Love,
Soran Leif

Glimpses Of You

What am I doing?
Where am I going?
How do i get there?
Where do I go?

--------------------------

What am I doing?
Where am I going?
How do i get there?
Where do I go?

Will come with you me?
Do you still get me?
Could you forgive me
And just let it go?

How am I doing?
Where am I growing?
How did I get here?
What do I know?

Do you still love me?
Could you forget me?
Will you still be there when
Time's getting old?

I listen to those
Who see where it goes,
who live the like the river
And watch it all flow.

I'll write you a poem,
We'll bask in the gloam,
Give me your keys,
I'm driving us home.

--------------------------

What am I doing?
Where am I going?
How do i get there?
Where do I go?

--------------------------

Are you still hoping
Are you still coping?
You hanging in there
Or just letting go?

Don't leave me alone
Don't look at your phone
Don't make me do something
I'd rather postpone.

Are you still breathing?
Will you believe me?
You are protected,
Your body and soul.

Just keep it all breezy
Make it easy
To just love
And to live in the ohm.

--------------------------

You mean the most to me
You weren't supposed to see
All those things I've always kept hidden
But damn, you're so close to me.

Give me a mountain stream,
I'll tell you my my favorite dream,
Where everything's spinning, and I can't stop thinking
That's how it's supposed to be.

--------------------------

What am I doing?
Where am I going?
How do i get there?
Where do I go?

----------------------------------------------------

I'm telling you everything
Are you even listening?
I guess it gets harder and harder to hear
When I'm always whispering.

What Am I Doing (Demo)

Ghost.

Producer Life

I wrote Die Alone sitting on the floor of my room. It was really different from my other songs at the time, but it stuck with me. At first I recorded it with GarageBand on my computer with loud vocals and noisy guitars. My brother Alec and I recorded it later with our band The Peaches for our Flyover Country album. Later, I redid it for fun, first in Garageband with some of the backing instruments that can still be heard in the final version and then took that to my friend Jake Whitecar Orangutan Sound studio in Montana where we recorded the final vocals, instruments, and live drums. I can’t believe there was a time when we could actually travel

Jake asked Jon Filkins to provide real, live drums and Amanda Ceaser to add background vocals. He also played bass, some synths, and some guitar. The song wouldn’t be what it is without their amazing contributions and I can’t thank each of them enough for participating

The result is peppy, but also dark. It has a heavy beat and some really cool vocals. I especially love the bridge where it gets really quiet and echoey and then builds to the most intense moment of the song

I recorded this song at a really hard time when I had to go to voice therapy because I had hurt my vocal cords and I was just recovering after a year wondering if I’d ever be able to sing again. I still hadn’t fully recovered during the recording process, but the result is cool because my vocals are a lot breathier than usual. My philosophy is: turn that mud into gold if at all possible

Die Alone. It’s about knowing that something or someone beautiful is gone, hoping they might come back someday, but not waiting around because you also have a life to live. It’s a dark song. Not exactly happy, but not unhappy either. Just fresh and raw from the pain and disappointment. The title comes from the phrase “You don’t die alone on the road”, which came from nowhere but really fits the overall energy, about moving forward despite all the uncertainty

In my mind, it’s a lot of dark night driving images which is going to feature in the video that will be released in the weeks after the song.

Die Alone will be out on ALL streaming platforms on Friday, September 25th. Here’s a pre-save link for the fans who don’t want to miss release day: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/maxoakland/die-alone

Listening to it, following me on Spotify and other social media, and sharing it will help me make this hard-won song as successful as possible. Thanks for your support, it’s always helped me keep motivated

Lyrics:
Oh I know it’s gone forever, but I can’t help but wonder
Can’t help but wondering
Filth dissolved in rain, like the clouds crashed and we're OK

You don't die alone on the road. Too many monsters to take your soul
You don't die alone on the road. Just gonna sell everything you know

Oh I know it’s gone forever, but I can’t help but wonder
Can’t help the wondering
Salts like cyanide washing away in the tide

Keep this one in my pocket to remind me of younger days
when the smoke we saw was dragons evolving in their caves
into you and your little sister all alone now in the snow
have we become the monsters when we drive away all alone?

You don't die alone on the road

Credits:
Songs by Max Oakland
Produced by Jake Whitecar and Max Oakland
Mixed by Jake Whitecar at Orangutan Sound in Missoula, MT
Performances
Max Oakland - Vocals, Guitars, Synths, Programming, Slide, Samples
Jake Whitecar - Bass Guitar, additional guitars & synths
Jon Filkins - Live Drums
Amanda Ceaser - Background Vocals

Die Alone (Single)

Die Alone

this is a song about the greatest movie of all times, party monster

i'm getting away with murder

‘Nukular’ tells the story of the world inside a nuclear explosion from the perspective of the man who pushed the button. Its dark and twisted lyrics speak of materialism, sensuality and death. The instrumentation surrounds you and creates an inescapable mushroom cloud of wailing synths, explosive drums, emotional vocals and dark cello.

Nukular

Low budget alternative pop rock. Max Oakland's music is perfect for the liminal times when the day is ending or beginning. Driving around on a summer night right before sunset, walking through alleyways, sitting at home, on a bus, anywhere

Max strives to build community through the art that he creates. With its stripped-down production and complex arrangement, Max’s music truly drives you to look into yourself to see whatever may be there.