Which songs do you wish you had written?
Snow-Cone by REI AMI.
I Was Sad Last Night, I’m Ok Now by tobi lou.
Nikes by Frank Ocean.
That Way by Lil Uzi Vert.
Pieces of Me by Ashlee Simpson.
Hit the Back by King Princess.
Gonna Hurry (As Slow As I Can) by Dolly Parton- I wish I could’ve been in that room.
Which songs/albums would you have liked to have witnessed be written?
There are so many. I wish I could’ve been a fly on the wall when Mariah was doing Vision of Love. She was 19– I can’t believe it, I am kicking myself–she came in with such a clear vision.
The “thank u, next” sessions as well– that album was made in two weeks. It’s about some fo the most heavy stuff a person can go through– grief, a failed engagement, living in the public eye. It’s a great album.
I would’ve liked to be in the room for Gaga’s Artpop. It is a shame how people just dismissed that album. After that everyone wanted to do a genre bender, proves themselves a virtuoso, prove that they had taste. And it’s a great album to dance to, alone.
Ah, and Robyn! Body Talk. She understood that someone is out there– and they are keep you from having a good time. You know what I’m saying? (laughs). You can live a whole life being heartbroken, and it sucks. And you have the right; the obligation to dance on your own. I feel like all of Robyn’s songs sound so defiant. Atmospheric, cinematic. Making the listener the protagonist in the movie of their mind. It’s for you. For some reason, I think people are making songs that people will enjoy in a group– aux cord songs. You can try to play Honey at a party and people will be like, “Awww. This isn’t heightened enough.”
What albums would you recommend people listen to right now?
Odyssey by Odyssey
Wicked City by Jockstrap (They’re the future).
Broke with Expensive Taste by Azealia Banks (I don’t mean to be problematic but it’s a fucking wild ride of genre-bending genius).
Tapestry by Carole King (I truly believe that Tapestry stands so strongly when you start at Track 1 and keep going. That music is so warm without being sappy– she’s holding you by the hand but she’s not condescending. And Carole King is, again, just a fucking genius.)
Punk by Chai (It’s this J-pop band; noise rock, reminiscent of X-Ray Specs and ‘90s girl groups. It goes really hard, I love it).
She doesn’t have an album out yet, but REI AMI is this girl from DC– she has 4 songs out and they’re all amazing. Her songs are kind of cut in half, and they have an intro/outro. They’re very different, so it’s like two songs for one. And she’s beautiful– she really is the Asian-American Britney. And we haven’t seen that yet, and I fully believe she is going to great things and I can’t wait for her album.
You Know What I Mean recommends you go listen to Max Havas' oeuvre on Spotify, right now: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2WmbJkbBMMDiSQNlonA649
Photograph of Max Havas taken by Marie Osterman in Los Angeles, CA.
