Maxton Hunter
Rather than identify with a single instrument, Los Angeles-based producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Maxton Hunter’s creative weapon of choice is the studio itself. His sound is best characterized by his spacious mixes, tropical-leaning instrumentation and sweeping reverbs, aesthetic qualities that speak to wide-spanning musical influences. With its panoramic production, Hunter’s vibrant blends of ambient pop and modern psychedelia serve as an homage to both personal discovery and cosmic exploration.
“Halfway Home” / “Morals” (2022)
The latest release from L.A.’s Maxton Hunter is a tasteful helping of California psych pop that perpetuates motion. Colored with windswept guitars and the soft drone of space-tinged keyboards, “Halfway Home” is a song you hear with your head in the clouds. With this offering, Hunter’s coastal psychedelia leans heavily in favor of lyrical melody and dance pop rhythms, while tackling trademark tropes of reclusive comfort and longing for escape. Its words linger in an atmosphere of their own making, its immersive production enveloping you like waves envelop a vessel in the open sea.
Amid the deluge of shimmering instrumentation, it's hard not to liken the vibe of the music to the flow state one feels when navigating swells of steady surf, but repeated listens simultaneously reveal a tender human layer beneath the track’s elemental temper. Wistful lines are presented in conjunction with plainly spoken desires, as in the second verse, when Hunter sings, “Dreaming underneath the waterfall / Need to sleep in, need to be alone with my woman.” In considering the track’s anatomy as a whole, these subtle contrasts reveal themselves to be connecting pieces rather than components at odds, coexisting in a larger mosaic full of sensuous power.
“Say What You Mean” / “Honestly” (2021)
The summer goes on forever in the newest batch of singles from Los Angeles producer and songwriter Maxton Hunter. His first release since this spring’s Paradise Syndrome, “Say What You Mean” and “Honestly” pick up where his previous project left off, expanding on the EP’s atmospheric and sun-kissed guitar grooves while steering things in a more pop-centric direction.
While the glossy psychedelic sheen of Hunter’s past recordings remains in the fold, these tracks are bolstered by a strong melodic core rather than raw instrumental prowess. Streaking guitar solos have been replaced by rich drum sounds and soothing synth lines; ambient textures have been reconfigured into subtle dance grooves; and the emphasis on the tune itself has never been stronger. Continuing Hunter’s trend of utilizing the skill sets of other vocalists, guests Lucy Branch and AriBella fit seamlessly into the crisp arrangements and lush aesthetics of their respective tracks, reinforcing Hunter’s role as a studio figurehead.
In the spirit of experimenting with different tonalities and new sounds, both releases will also include a “slowed and reverb” version of each single, a nod to Hunter’s knack for indulging in varied mixing and production methods. With the warmest days of the year knocking on our collective doorsteps, Hunter hopes his audience can enjoy these songs for what they are: an overt stab at feel-good summer pop that pays dividends in the department of replay-ready and playlist-friendly California jams.
Paradise Syndrome (2021)
The world’s current state of affairs has naturally led many people into periods of intense self-reflection, questioning which aspects of their life are truly valuable and carry the most significance in the long run. For the creative individual, this process is a natural part of artistic evolution. Los Angeles-based producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Maxton Hunter’s sound captures the essence of that exact internal transformation.
Rather than identify with a single instrument, Hunter’s creative weapon of choice is the studio itself. His sound is best characterized by his spacious mixes, tropical-leaning instrumentation, and sweeping reverbs, aesthetic qualities that speak to wide-spanning musical influences. With its panoramic production, Hunter’s vibrant blends of ambient pop and modern psychedelia serve as an homage to both personal discovery and cosmic exploration.
At the forefront of Hunter’s sound are his overt intentions to be a conscious pop artist, one capable of exploring profound abstract narratives and character-driven fiction concepts while delivering introspective lyricism that embraces the essence of fluid spirituality, modern love, and higher consciousness. This conceptual prowess is also reflected in the other aspects of Hunter’s art. The artwork that accompanies his songs is primarily based around multiple exposure photography, the transparent figures in each portrait essentially being the other performers playing the music, further enhancing the idea of the one-man-band experience that is Maxton Hunter.
Moving to Los Angeles has not only signaled an evolution in Hunter’s creative output but also in his physical methods of recording. No longer operating in the space of a remote room on an open ranch, his approach to songcraft has naturally shifted away from traditional tracking to be more like that of an electronic producer. Inside his new and improved home studio, Third Studio From The Sun, named in honor of the classic Jimi Hendrix tune “Third Stone From The Sun,” Hunter’s sound palette has grown to include stylistic elements from all sorts of contemporary sources.
“Creating my own sample pack from my vintage Ludwig drums and incorporating those triggered hits and looped rhythms has made me respect hip-hop producers more than ever,” he says.
This period in Hunter’s emerging career will be marked by experimentation, reflection and growth. Most notably, it will be defined by the desire to create enduring songs and turn the fleeting emotions of young adulthood into lasting musical moments.
Growing up in Santa Barbara, California, Maxton Hunter Schulte was raised on a steady diet of sunshine-pop, psych-rock, jazz and progressive instrumental music, eventually landing with a guitar in his hands. As an adolescent, he gradually explored more classic psychedelic sounds, gravitating towards the space-tearing tones of iconic axe-masters like Jimi Hendrix and Nick McCabe, the surfy West Coast melodies of The Byrds and The Beach Boys, and experimental works by The Beatles and Pink Floyd, all of which would play a key role in shaping Hunter’s interpretations of pop and rock music. Equally influential would be the worldly stylings of modern psych-pop polymaths, like Tame Impala, MGMT and Khruangbin. In time, Hunter began forming his own sound, one informed by artists and cultures both inside and outside of the psychedelic realm.
In 2017, Hunter began releasing a string of self-recorded solo projects under the name Maxton Schulte, which included Standing On The Only Shore (2017), Retrograde Emotion (2018), Virgo’s Vertigo (2019), A Trance By The Sea (2019), and most recently, Paradise Syndrome (2020). Largely recorded in his native Santa Barbara, the material dabbles in both psychedelic pop and ambient soundscapes.
Outside of his solo endeavors, Hunter previously co-founded the retro outfit The Caverns with Alyssa Davey (Sego) and Sam Kulchin, released four albums with Justin Kass (Killer Kaya, Reefcity) as the experimental psychedelic duo The Shorelines, orchestrated multiple collaborations with indie songstress Jamey Geston and guest-produced multiple episodes of the Dante Elephante Podcast.
In 2019, he co-founded Dos Pueblos Records with visual artist Theodore Schaefer, further expanding his prowess as not only a recording artist but as a producer and engineer. His production credits include the debut albums by Reefcity, Kenny Galindo and Willy’s Air, three of the first five releases on the label.
With a solid foundation of independent releases and collaborations, Hunter set his sights on the next step, moving to Los Angeles in late 2019. In the coming months, he would commit to his ambitions one-step further by making the decision to release all future music under the name Maxton Hunter.
Regarding the name change and relocation, Hunter calls it, “Essentially, a complete fresh start and embracing it to the fullest.”
New music from Maxton Hunter is due out this summer.