Even God Has A Sense Of Humor

Description

'Even God Has A Sense Of Humor' is the highly-anticipated follow-up to Maxo’s critically acclaimed 2019 album, Lil Big Man. Across 14 tracks, 'Even God Has A Sense Of Humor' pays homage to the changing nature of life and includes features from Liv.e, keiyaA, LastNameDavid, and Melanie Charles as well as previously released singles "Free!," produced by Dev. Morrison and "48," produced by Madlib and featuring Pink Siifu. The FADER recently spoke with Maxo to discuss the album, which they described as having “a defiant glimmer, like a bronze statue still standing after an intense tornado.”Born Maxamillian Allen, 'Even God Has A Sense Of Humour' finds Maxo earnest, heartfelt, and lyrically nimble. His delivery is impactful as he poetically unwraps the trials and blessings that have marked the past three years since Lil Big Man, his moving and meditative debut. “Life will always be life,” Maxo says, speaking on the spiritual lessons that inspired this new project and the album process which revealed to him the many ways in which he is divinely protected.The striking album cover features three cast sculptures of Maxo by legendary New York-based artist John Ahearn, photographed by the rapper’s friend Steven Traylor. The image predated the music and set the tone for the record’s overall aura. The experience of the casting process - which required long stretches of stillness for the form and breath holding to avoid claustrophobia - became a metaphor for ego death for Maxo. “I had to go to a space where I just wasn’t there,” he says. As the cast was poured onto his body, and the voices of those in the room became distant, Maxo’s inner world became clear. “By the time it hardened, it seemed like the sculpture had risen 20 feet above where it originally was, almost as if it grew,” he explains. EGHASOH, in its auditory ebbs and flows, honest questionings, profound revelations, and elegant verses, is Maxo standing spiritually after a period of challenges with family and friends.Maxo’s writing process has always been rooted in imagery, observation, and capturing moments. Growing up in Southern California, Maxo spent extensive time perusing old family photo albums, some of which content became earlier release artworks. But his fascination with visual recollections is less about nostalgia or remembrance and more about exploring concepts of growth, healing, and cycles. His artistry is intentional and deeply sensitive: “If I don’t feel it, I’m not gonna record.” Whereas his past records openly grappled with emotional turbulence, anger, and depression, EGHASOH is Maxo’s acceptance stage: “I really can’t judge anything. I can’t sit there and be mad at shit because everything exists, everything kind of coexists,” he says.Musically, EGHASOH is an impressive evolution from Maxo’s previous lo-fi, unadorned projects. With a focus on jazzy instrumentalism and soothing, complex vocals from fellow artists and singers Liv.e, Melanie Charles, and keiyaA, EGHASOH is a welcome and beautifully intricate sonic effort. Its contributors include a range of musicians: Pink Siifu, LastNameDavid, Madlib, GrayMatter, Karriem Riggins, Beat Butcha, Lance Skiiiwalker, and more. The album was produced by Dom Maker of Mount Kimbie.“Nobody talks about the fact that we change as we get older… Everyone acts like you’re supposed to know,” Maxo says on the album’s leading track “Face of Stone.” Its moody bassline meets a cinematic accordion melody that, paradoxically, both smolders and uplifts – a fitting production choice that mirrors the song’s backstory. “I see how much this world chips away at you and withers your bones,” Maxo says. “I’m talking about myself, I’m talking about my brother. [But] you’ll never do anything that is a one-stop shop in this life. You have to continuously stay diligent and consistent.”For Maxo, 'Even God Has A Sense Of Humor' is nothing more than another moment in the timeline of his self-expression offerings as an artist—an artist whose sole intention is, in his words, “to develop as a human being and to heal.”