We had a chat with Max Berlin, the brains behind the captivating, orchestral, indie pop project Berlin w/ Strings and found out some more about him and his trailblazing sound
Just three tracks into this burgeoning new project, we have fallen in love with Berlin w/ Strings and the sheer audacity and fun of his playful, orchestral indie pop sound. As we have said on the site before, the sound combines a lot of elements that probably shouldn’t work, but come together in the most charming and arresting way, making for something that feels both creative but with rousing little moments of familiarity and earnest honesty.
Following the release of the narrative heavy ‘All Our Friends!!’ which was lauded by us, the artist has now released his new mini EP Marion/yeah. which continues to establish the unique and captivating sonic world in which he operates. From the orchestral nature of his sound, to the affable charisma and personality that permeates his work and bleeds through, there is so much to love in this project and so much that feels completely unlike anything else. We had a chat with Max Berlin and found out some more about the future of the project and what inspired him to move in this direction with his sound.
Who TF is Berlin w/ Strings?
Berlin w/ Strings was always kind of a simple idea: an homage to the studio strings outside of the orchestra. Ever since I listened to music I’ve always fallen in love with the strings on Motown records, film scores, psychedelic rock, you name it. I think when people hear strings they sometimes have stuffy, classical, or high-society connotations with it. I want Berlin w/ Strings to rewrite that stereotype a little bit and use the “orchestral sound” in a really contemporary way.
How long have you been making music?
I’ve been noodling on the piano since I was 7 or 8, but I would say I started writing when I was 11 or 12. I’d compose these “movie themes” on piano and make my mom tape record them so I could listen in her car. After that it was jazz, then film orchestra, then indie pop, and now… this!
Why do you make music?
To express myself, to say things, to be vulnerable, and to elevate my own life experience. Music makes stories seem real and important. Not just fictional stories, but our own lives as stories. I wanted to create Berlin w/ Strings as an answer to the question: if no one told you what music you should be making, what would you make? Can I tell people who I am through this music?
What are your biggest influences?
It’s a weird list but here we go—first off, Brian Wilson was the person who told me to write music with lyrics and to be an artist. But on a more general note: John Williams, Stephen Sondheim, Frank Ocean, Fiona Apple, Mac Demarco, Caroline Polachek, SOPHIE, Bernard Herrmann, and Ben Folds. Those are all ingredients in Berlin w/ Strings.
What would you say has been your best moment so far?
The first live show I did as Berlin w/ Strings was in the basement of a college party house near the Eastman School of Music. The room was cramped and dark and gross and the beer was shitty and no one expected to see a chamber string orchestra with a pop band crammed into that tiny space. But that was instantly the vibe: unexpected strings! It was one of the most special performances of my life.
How would you describe your sound to somebody unfamiliar with it?
Vintage indie pop had a weird affair with film music and musical theatre—and it miraculously worked out. There’s also strings on it.
What’s your dream “I’ve made it” moment?
Wow—I haven’t even thought that far ahead! Truly, I’d love a director or filmmaker to listen to Berlin w/ Strings and see the cinematic and narrative potential for this kind of music. I often call it “film music pop,” so I’d love this type of sound to permeate film and TV. I have this crackpot theory that film music and pop music will continue to meld together and I’d love for Berlin w/ Strings to pave the way for that trend.
We love Marion/yeah., what more can you tell us about it?
My cute little two-song EP! Honestly I treat it as all one song. I even call it a “piece.” This is narrative cinematic storytelling. It’s epic, laced with drama, but groovy and propelling. By the time you’ve listened to the entire EP, I want you feel like you’ve just watched a movie. Or a musical. But not an annoying vapid musical. Just elevated musical storytelling.
What else do you have planned for the near future?
An actual EP! More songs, more instrumentals, more stories, more out of my imagination. A live show in Los Angeles would be a delightful pain in the ass but the rewards of live strings and a band would be huge. I would only do a live show if I did it at 110%.
And finally, who is your biggest fan right now?
There’s a brilliant Los Angeles-based visual artist named Barbara Mendes who told me after hearing my debut single, “All Our Friends!!” that “you have brought a whiff of future with your realization of actual present.” I was stunned by her words because it made me feel like I was expressing something real while also creating something never heard before. After Barbara said that, I couldn’t help but treat it as my new mantra for Berlin w/ Strings.
