Max Frost creates like no one’s watching. Instead of concerning himself with the expectations of others or the confines of genre, he makes music representative of his idiosyncratic individuality. He’ll frolic with panache over a funky groove, practically melt into the embrace of a dreamy lovelorn ballad, shuffle into the sun with confidence on a swaggering anthem, or think out loud in a melodic moment of realization. The Austin, TX-born and Nashville, TN-based artist, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist magnifies the scope of alternative pop on his 2025 second full-length offering, Shelby Ave. [Nettwerk Music Group].
An emphasis on simplicity enabled him to uncover sonic beauty in its purest form.
“I’ve settled down and simplified my life in a way that has made creativity a lot easier,” he observes. “I’ve kept myself busy enough to where music is like a hobby again—even though I get to do it professionally. This is an important place for me to be in. I’ve gotten further away from outside influences or trying to be a part of a scene. I want to remain removed from comparison and competitiveness. I’m just living a simple life, and I’m making music I like. I’m lucky people like it too.”
He recognized his calling during his formative years in Austin. You can practically follow his artistic trajectory from breakout singles such as “White Lies” and “Adderall” through his full-length debut LP, Gold Rush. Meanwhile, he gathered over 1 billion total streams fueled by “Good Morning,” “Let Me Down Easy,” and “Withdrawal,” to name a few. Beyond landing syncs from Pepsi, ESPN, CBS, Showtime’s Shameless, Grey’s Anatomy, The War With Grandpa, and American Idol, he shined on tour with Gary Clark, JR., Fitz and The Tantrums, Panic! At The Disco, and Twenty One Pilots in addition to delivering impressive TV performances on Good Morning America and Live! With Kelly and Ryan. Along the way, he incited the applause of Atwood Magazine, American Songwriter, NPR, Rolling Stone, and Variety, among others. He emerged as an outlier equally comfortable on a track with DJ Snake or in the studio with Sir Elton John. Simultaneously, his presence surged across social media thanks to signature “mashups,” which found him fusing disparate vibes a la “Gorillaz covering Eminem,” “Pink Floyd covering Billie Eilish,” and more. Thus far, he has attracted over 500K “followers” on TikTok alone!
He teased Shelby Ave by sharing Shelby Ave, Pt. 1 EP at the top of 2024. Right away, Melodic Magazine raved, “Max is really a master of style on Shelby Ave, Pt. 1, whether he is giving us acoustic, dance, folk, soul, or pop. Whatever you are into, you will find it here.” Wolf In A Suit rated it “4.5-out-of-5 stars,” going on to profess, “It’s an EP that has all the right ingredients to be a great reason to become a fan of this fantastic artist and it’s only just a small showcase of what he has to offer.” Under The Radar Magazine applauded how “poignant lyrics find a home amidst Frost’s weathered vocal melodies.”
He crafted the entire body of work at a house on Shelby Ave. in Nashville, assembling the songs with the help of trusted collaborator and producer Luke Niccoli.
Now, “Dreams Don’t Make Sense” introduces the album. It layers a reverb-drenched vocal transmission over sparse piano and anxious guitar. Boosted by a steeple-size, heavenly harmony, a revelatory refrain rings out, “Dreams don’t make sense, but baby neither does my life.”
“The older I get, the stranger life seems,” he muses. “Especially in these last five years, the more I live in reality, the less real it seems. It’s like I keep waiting to wake up in 2019. At the beginning of 2020, it seemed as if we were still living in a crazy parallel universe. Everything obviously changed.”
A thick bassline rolls beneath his airy vocals on “Comes Back 2 U.” Anchored to steady claps, he leans into a toe-tapping cadence as his voice swoons on the hook, “Every little thing I do, it all comes back to you.”
“It goes back to a consistent theme in my music, which is having someone you love or you once loved who’s always on your mind,” he elaborates. “You strip away the distractions of life, and you’re still thinking of this person. We all go through it, whether we admit it or not.”
“Halfway Love” revolves around popified neon synths, a shuffling electric guitar riff, and slick bass thump. He flexes his high register on the dancefloor-ready chant, “Do you got someone else floating in those eyes?”
“It’s almost about the chapter before you breakup with someone,” he sets the scene. “You realize your significant other only has one foot in your relationship.”
He tunes into heartbreak on “Car Stereo.” Spinning the dial to a frequency between big screen-style strings and an indie rock hum, he exhales, “Here’s a piece of my soul you can keep in your car stereo.”
“That was written the day after a breakup,” he recalls. “It’s almost like a parting gift in a way. It’s like, ‘Here’s the last piece of me that you can have and play in your stereo, if you want.’
Then, there’s “Spinach Soufflé.” Its head-nodding bounce brushes up against his wavy vocals. “It’s a fun song,” he states. “To me, it’s a bit tropical. It’s about flirting with someone or that quirky excitement of meeting a new person.”
In the end, Max keeps it simple and just writes timeless songs.
“I feel like I’m in the same ship that I’ve been in for a long time, but now I have more masts up,” he leaves off. “I’m ready for the wind to change in any direction. I’m following life’s lead a little more and trying to control the outcomes a little less.”