Lilith Max enchants us with their rampaging vocal performance in their newest EP, ‘StoryBook’

LILITH MAX

STORYBOOK

Houston, United States

Lilith Max enchants us with their rampaging vocal performance in their newest EP, ‘StoryBook’. The collection of songs is centred around telling stories, focusing on the old fairytale lore that is rooted deep within all worldly cultures. Lilith Max has written tales of a similar fashion into the songs that make up ‘StoryBook’ and has delivered them in such a wholesome manner. Acoustics, strings, piano and the occasional backing drone help to make this EP focus on the stories that lie within and how they sound in a modern-day medium. However, the standout Belle of the Ball is the vocal performance that alights upon new heights on each track. Spellbinding.

The EP opens with ‘Big Bad Wolf’. Now we all know multiple stories that feature the character popularised by those zany Grimm brothers, but Lilith Max takes a new approach. The song isn’t brooding, scary or spiteful. It carries with it passion, heart and a love for the unusual. ‘Big Bad Wolf’ holds some amazing melodies and a chorus that doesn’t hold back. Instantly you will fall in love with the soprano tones that dance among the sound-strings in the enchanted wood. Piano chords keep the song grounded and earthly, warming up the low end while the highs take us for a ride. The chorus opens up the tempo and provides a catchy melody that will leave you humming for hours as you skip gallantly to the old shack in the grove.

Next comes, ‘Champagne & Cigarettes’. The song feels lavish, golden. It rides big band vibes while keeping it chill. Strings open the song with the vocals providing a theatrical call to attention. Then the song breaks and a brushed snare walks us through a party of the highest order. Lilith Max’s vocals describe the goings on with attentive melodies that strike at precise moments giving a sense of power and wonder to the listener. A tour of rooms no one is allowed in takes place sonically, the song feels so luxurious it's exclusive. A fine change in pace from ‘Big Bad Wolf’ though setting their world-class vocal style in stone.

‘Sacrifice’ follows and is the most modern pop sound on the EP. It still has those wondrous harmonies and highs that come from the vocal but features electric guitar and shimmering claps that punctuate the verses. Strings make a return to build the tension and the rise to the chorus is so smooth it's creamy. The sound is utterly unique, something new and blazingly powerful. It's amazing to hear a new angle in the upcoming pop space and I hope it continues, performant vocalists are making a return.

‘StoryBook’ ends with a slower return to form, and the song I would pick for the single, ‘The Cautionary’. Its rolling acoustic guitar sits under the vocals as they whisk us away to the land of clouds. It’s a heartfelt song through and through, contrasting perfectly with the rather up-tempo and jovial offerings that make up the majority of ‘StoryBook’. Lilith Max’s vocal lends itself perfectly to ballads, the belting never-breaking highs that litter the track take the whole song to another level; One that is rare for an artist to reach so soon in their career.

‘StoryBook’ is an album that knows its sound. It came here to make it and it nailed it. It hits on folklore, luxury, loss and recollection. Each song tells a captivating story and leads us to question ourselves. Are we like the Wolf? What have we sacrificed? When will it all end? Thematically, ‘StoryBook’ is astounding. Each song has a moral as each fairytale tends to. Though short, the quality is obvious from the get-go on this EP. If you need something new to rekindle your love for new music, Lilith Max and her sky-high vocals will light a fire big enough to burn down that enchanted wood once and for all.