Review Summary: An entertaining and funky distraction
Maximum High is a four-piece Funk outfit based out of Athens, Greece that prides itself on a DIY approach, opting to produce their work with analog equipment; it’s definitely a respectable approach, and at times the quality really shows. Maximum High’s self-titled debut EP is a fun, funky little effort with catchy guitars, a strong vocalist, and solid production values.
Let’s talk about arguably the best quality point of the EP, Irene Dimopoulou; her voice has a very distinct 80's flair to it that gives each of the songs the kick they need to compliment the cascading guitar rhythms behind. When she really lets loose vocally it’s an absolute delight, such as on EP highlight “Don’t Let Me Down”, in which she belts out long notes in sync with the surprisingly engaging 2000's era hard rock influenced backing riffs. The problem is that she doesn’t let loose enough on here; her singing in itself is pleasant to listen to, but she never really reaches the height of that track again on the EP. This also might have to do with the songwriting, which was aimed more at bringing forward a groove rather than having particular aspects stand out more than one another. This isn’t bad considering it’s a more stylistic choice, but it could have led to something more.
The instrumentals are focused on one thing, and one thing only;
”rhythm”, to a point where everything else is almost a distraction. Having such a clear focus is admirable, but additional variety is necessary. Still, there are plenty of fun things to be found here, such as in the distorted guitar licks of “Stay”, which are interwoven nicely with the well-placed bass arrangements. The name of the game is distortion, grooves, and getting from rhythmic passage to rhythmic passage. Maximum High has a lot of potential as a bad to succeed. If they can hone in on their craft, and utilize their talents even more, they have the potential to be a show-stopping funk outfit. For now, we have this small, but entertaining debut EP.
