Maxband, a project fronted by Parquet Courts drummer Max Savage, this week share their debut album on UK band Sports Team’s Holm Front Records.
 
‘On Ice,’ produced and mixed by Jonny Schenke, picks up where breakthrough EP ‘Top of the Stairs’ left off across 12 tracks of direct, hook-laden indie rock — at times recalling New York luminaries The Strokes but also dipping into murkier waters. The sardonic ‘Rich Man’ brings to mind the best of early Weezer, while the sprawling six-minute epic ‘Lines’ emerges from a verse groove reminiscent of Neu’s ‘Hallogallo’ into a duelling guitar solo worthy of a nod of approval from Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd of Television.
 
“The songwriting has matured, both lyrically and instrumentally,” says Savage, who admits he would have “gone crazy” without the outlet of writing. “We’re a much tighter band now, and we’ve improved as musicians individually. Everyone’s voices can be heard on this record, and our winsome personalities are reflected in each song.”
 
Savage isn't merely paying lip service to a rehearsal room democracy. All four members of the Brooklyn quartet  — completed by Patrick J Smith of A Beacon School, drummer Eric Read and lead guitarist Tim Nelson — assume the role of lead singer on at least one song over the course of On Ice’s 41-minute run-time.