Radio UTD’s Maddie Wright sits down with Orlando-based post-punk rising star Max Fry for an exclusive conversation on the Far From Perfect Tour. Stream his latest album, Far From Perfect, here.
(Interview has been edited for clarity)
Introduction & Texas Talk
Maddie Wright (MW): So, we’ll go ahead and start and make sure this is rolling. Yes, we are. This is Maddie Wright from Radio UTD. I’m joined here with Max Fry on his Far From Perfect tour in Austin, Texas! Thank you so much for being here.
Max Fry (MF): Yeah, I’m excited to be here — this is fun. This is our first interview really from this tour, so I’m very stoked.
MW: Awesome, I’m honored. So, let’s talk about Texas a little bit. How’s it treating you? You’ve done a couple shows here.
MF: Texas, yeah, the whole tour’s been really hot. When we were up in Canada, it was hot, and now we’re down in Texas and it’s just hotter. I love Texas — I’ve been here before but never played any shows. So this is a cool first experience. We had our first show in Fort Worth and the crowd was crazy — like, they were psychos. I’m excited to be here in Austin and hopefully we can catch that same energy.
MW: Amazing. I hope so, because I’d heard a bit about Fort Worth and Dallas giving you that energy — that being the important part.
MF: Yeah, sometimes it’s hit or miss with these crowds. It’s always love — people show up and support — but then you get those one-off shows that blow you out of the water. Those moments are really special. So I have faith in Austin.
Meeting Stacy & Tour Dynamics
MW: Me too — we’ll bring it! So let’s talk a little about you and Stacy, or Ekkstacy as most people know him. How’d you two meet?
MF: We met on the internet, probably just over a year ago. I’d been listening to his music for a while. He’s kind of like the North Star in this scene for me — someone I really respect: his music, artistry, skills, everything. I was listening to him before I was even putting out stuff under this project. Then we had a bunch of mutuals, so I hit him up on Instagram and we started shooting the shit back and forth. Eventually, he was on tour and came to Orlando, where I’m from. We got to kick it before his show and hang out. After that, it was sending demos back and forth, staying in touch. Then when touring stuff came up, he said, “Yeah, I want you on this tour,” and I was like, “Of course, I’m so honored.” It’s really a blessing to be friends with Stacy and to be on tour with him because after every set I play, I get to go chill, go into the crowd, and be a fan of his set. So yeah.
MW: That is amazing. Because you also listed him as one of your top three favorite artists last year.
MF: Yeah.
MW: And when I saw the tour lineup go out, I was like, “Oh my god!” — this is a goated lineup, to use teenager terms.
MF: Yeah, it’s a very full-circle thing. And it’s cool to see a lot of crossover with fans, too. People aren’t just like, “Oh, I get to go to Max Fry’s show,” or “Oh, I get to see Ekkstacy.” It’s this package deal. For a lot of people, we could be two of their favorite artists, and they get to see both in the same night. I love that.
Pre-show Rituals & Energy
MW: Yeah, it’s amazing. That’s how it is for me. So let’s also talk a little about pre-show routines or touring in general. Do you do anything pre-show, anything to get in the zone?
MF: Yeah, it’s different. When I first started playing shows, I was such a mess and had to really lock in on pre-show rituals. But once you get on longer tours, it becomes muscle memory. The biggest thing for me is don’t get sick. If I’m feeling sick, it’s slamming tea, throat coat — anything to help my voice and just not get sick. I’m drinking kombucha right now, taking immune booster shots, all of that.
MW: Right.
MF: And besides that, I’m an anxious person. So I like to knock out as many push-ups as I can. That gets the blood pumping, gives me some relief from anxiety, helps me loosen up. I also stretch a bit because I like to jump around a lot on stage. Stretching and push-ups are the only things that are super consistent for every show. I have to do that.
MW: Right. That’s fun, actually. I get that — push-ups, though, I can’t do that, I’m not physically inclined.
MF: laughs It’s tough. It’s limiting in green rooms sometimes — all I can do is get on the floor and start doing push-ups.
MW: Yeah. If you had to name it, are there any favorite parts of touring? Anything you really love about it?
MF: Ooh, it’s interesting because when you’re on tour, you get to see so many parts of the country you’re in, which is really cool. But it also kind of sucks because you’re only there for a short time. I remember touring Europe and seeing places like Prague and Berlin for the first time, but really, you just see the inside of an Airbnb, the venue, and then it’s, boom, on to the next spot catching the train. So I wouldn’t say the traveling part is my favorite. What I like most is probably the fan interactions. Playing the show is fun and full of energy, but seeing a crowd really resonate with what I’m doing — and then getting to meet them afterward and hear their stories — that’s why I do it. That’s the peak experience.
MW: That is a peak experience. If you could go back and spend more time anywhere — Europe or elsewhere — where would you go?
MF: Prague, 100%. I don’t even have to think about it.
MW: Is there anything you saw that made you think, “I definitely have to go back”?
MF: Prague was crazy because we had a day off and ended up going to this secret rave in the middle of the woods outside the city.
MW: No way.
MF: Yeah, it was really sketchy — like 4 AM. We had to take this 40-minute Uber outside Prague with no address — just a spot on a satellite map. There was an abandoned mine shaft where they’d set up DJ equipment, and they were playing Crystal Castles and stuff out of this cave basically in the woods. We stayed from 4 AM until sunrise, and I was like, “This feels like UK skins or something.” It was wild.
MW: That is crazy.
MF: Definitely one of the craziest experiences I’ve had.
MW: Right.
MF: Plus, Prague is such a beautiful city. It’s really well preserved considering World War II. Not much got destroyed, so it kind of looks like Disneyland.
MW: Oh, you mean the architecture, right?
MF: Yeah, exactly.
Fun Moments & Band Shenanigans
MW: That’s some of the best parts about traveling too. So I’m a little nervous because they’re actually here, but I wanted to talk about Maya [Stepansky] and Blake [Maxwell] a bit.
MF: I hate those guys. Laughs
MW: You guys are so cool. How did you all meet, and what’s it like touring and working together? Like, team ccdynamics?
MF: Yeah, I met Maya first. Maya and Blake are both based in Brooklyn. I needed a drummer, so the plan was to start the band by finding a drummer and then slowly build the band out — more cost-effective and we hadn’t played shows yet. Through my manager, I met Maya. We had rehearsals, then Blake hopped on for the first show, and we immediately had chemistry. They’re super nice people.
Maya S (MS): Aww.
MF: The most important thing I tell everyone is: you can have super skilled bandmates — that’s a blessing — but the real blessing is being able to spend 30 days bumping elbows without wanting to kill each other.
MW: Right.
MF: We all get along, support each other, and it’s just a good vibe. Plus, they’re very talented. It’s the best of both worlds, and I wouldn’t want to switch it up.
MW: Dare I say, please don’t, because you guys are awesome. Hope to see you more in the future.
MF: Yeah, they’re the best. They’re gonna put on a good show tonight.
MW: Can’t wait. Any group shenanigans? Like something one of them always does?
MF: We’ve had an ongoing joke on this tour about Blake. He’s been catching the craziest strays lately. I won’t put him on blast, but weird stuff just happens to him. At the start of the tour, I joked that Blake was gonna catch all these strays — and then it manifested. Sorry, Blake.
MW: No way.
MF: Yeah, yeah. That’s the story.
[Background chatter about “traffic strays” and laughter]
MF: Alright, enough about catching strays. We’ll pick that up later.
MW: All right, I have to ask another question because I heard Buc-ee’s mentioned. I was going to say, unfortunately, the Texas stereotype is Buc-ee’s. Did you guys all go to Buc-ee’s together?
[Max’s tour manager shows off his Buc-ee’s shirt]
MW (to tour manager): You’re wearing the shirt!
MF: We went to the Buc-ee’s in Oklahoma City first, and it was like the promised land Buc-ee’s. The road was named Beaver River or something, and the place was stretched like 2,000 feet long.
Tour Manager: Beaver Lane. Then we found out all of them are huge.
MF: No, but then there are small ones too.
MW: There actually are a few small ones.
Tour Manager: I’ve been forcing them to just keep going to Buc-ee’s.
MF: Yeah, and it’s so cheap. It feels like some weird government project — like how are you guys still in business? Gas is so cheap, the food is so cheap.
MW: Oh, it’s a scheme.
MF: Yeah. Feels like something shady is going on.
MW: Oh, absolutely.
MF: And I don’t trust that dude in the mascot. Who is that guy?
MW: Yeah, good question. Whenever I see him, I always run.
MF: laughs
MW: Yeah, definitely. He’s a shady man. But yeah, Buc-ee’s is pretty nice. Their products are really good. I always get the candied pralines whenever I’m there.
MF: Ooh.
MS: I keep seeing those whenever I go!
MW: They’re delicious. I’ll get a bag and it’ll vanish in one day.
MS: That’s why I don’t get them.
MW: Exactly! You have to restrain yourself. There’s a point.
Movie Loves & Pop Culture References
MW: Let’s talk a little more about your social media approach. When I first got into you, it was probably through your reels of your songs over Breaking Bad and Scott Pilgrim.
MF: Oh gosh, yeah.
MW: I always associated the two — like Jesse Pinkman and Zombie and so on. But are there any other TV shows or movies you kind of associate with your music?
MF: Yeah, growing up, I was really into movies. That’s a common theme — really big into movies. I started appreciating music and movie scores, which led me to making music. I always tell people, if I could choose a dream job other than music, I’d be a movie critic, writing about films. Even shitty movies — I’d still want to see those and write about them because that’s interesting to me. Like, “interestingly bad” — that’s a whole vibe.
MW: Exactly, I feel the same way. Do you have a Letterbox account?
MF: Yeah, I just got put onto Letterbox recently. Someone told me I needed one because I watch movies alone, then open the Notes app on my phone and start typing out my thoughts.
MW: Nice, so they put you onto Letterbox?
MF: Yeah, so they put me onto Letterbox. I haven’t really started using it properly to give reviews or anything, but it’s there. For movies I relate to my music, it’s definitely the coming-of-age stuff, but the darker side — like Requiem for a Dream, I fuck with that, Trainspotting, that kind of thing. Anything really dark but that also shows this adolescent timeline or story.
MW: Right, totally. Have you seen any recent movies that you thought were really good?
MF: Dude, we saw Superman.
MW: Really? Was it good?
MF: At IMAX, yeah. I hate superhero movies, but I really liked it.
MW: I’ve been holding out on seeing Superman.
MF: Yeah, I haven’t really been recommending it because it’s usually not my thing, but I had a good time. It was cool. I’m trying to think if there’s anything else… I feel like I haven’t seen any really good new movies recently. I’ve been going back and watching old stuff. As a kid, I hated movies if they seemed dated, but the older I got, I realized there was actually some really good stuff.
MW: You find appreciation.
MF: Yeah, yeah. So I’m going back.
MW: Yeah, you should. Especially with a lot of stuff coming out today, I’ve kind of lost hope a little bit.
MF: Yeah, it’s tough.
MW: But two really good ones I think you should check out are F1 and Sinners.
MF: I’ve been put onto Sinners, haven’t seen it yet. I heard you just shouldn’t look up anything and just watch it.
MW: Don’t look anything up. Keep an open mind. It’s not perfect, but it’s entertaining.
MF: Okay.
MW: And F1 is just eye candy — Brad Pitt, so can you really complain?
MF: I’m down. Yeah, that one would be good in IMAX.
MW: Oh, it is. Also, I’m sure speaking for the fans, I’d love a list of Max Fry movies to go watch.
MF: That’s super interesting. I’m down. I never really thought of that — I didn’t think people would care. But that would be cool, like a playlist.
MW: Yes!
MF: Like an artist playlist but with movies. I’m down.
MW: Sick! Please.
MF: Alright, you’ve inspired me.
MW: Thank you. I’m sure plenty of your fans would love to know your taste, especially in film, because those kinds of mediums bring people together.
MF: Yeah, no, you’re totally right.
MW: Totally dope. This is a more silly question, but you sometimes associate your albums with different colors. If you had to give Far From Perfect a color, what would it be?
MF: Ooh, oh my gosh, that’s a really good question. I feel like it’d be a darker red — like bloody, a little bloody. It’s harder to give a whole album a color than individual songs.
MW: Right.
MF: So it’s kind of this melting pot of a bunch of colors. But if I had to pick, yeah, a little bloody.
Vocal Chain & Production Secrets
MW: Awesome. Actually, I almost forgot a question I’ve wanted to ask you personally for so long. You’ve called your “secret sauce” to music making your vocal chain.
MF: Yes.
MW: I was wondering if you could please tell me what your vocal chain is, how you make it, or what it does?
MF: Yeah, yeah. My vocal chain — I’ll tell you the basics, which is not really the sauce. The basics are compression, EQ, some simple delay, a little reverb, and then more EQ cutting out lows. That’s a normal standard chain. But then on top of that, here’s the techie part — only the tech people might get this. I used to produce for a long time. So I send a chain with a guitar amp emulator on it.
MW: Ooh.
MF: Like a fuzzed-out guitar amp sound, then even more delay, some EQ, and then you balance it. So you have one chain that’s just my vocals, and another chain that’s my vocals but super distorted. You blend those two, and that’s the sauce.
MW: No way.
MF: Yeah, yeah.
MW: That is the sauce.
MF: It’s kind of like how The Strokes have that dry amped vocal sound. Imagine combining that with reverb vocals on top, mixing them together — that’s the sauce.
MW: That explains why it works so well. I’d always wondered about the effect on your voice — it’s not distortion exactly, but it’s something. So that’s what you call a vocal chain?
MF: Yeah.
Inspiration & Creative Process
MW: And yes, I remember you started as a producer. I was actually going to ask — why exactly did you step out and become your own artist, making your own stuff?
MF: So, I’d been producing for like 11 years, and I just got tired of being behind the scenes. I was like, I feel like I can do this. It took about a year of messing around — the music was good, but the vocals were terrible. I’d never written before and thought “I’m not a poet”, you know? That was a hard learning curve. I was also in the middle of a coding boot camp because I quit my job, was making music, but money was running low. I was about to become a coder. Then I made the first song from the EP called Rotten, the first one where I didn’t hate my vocals, and I was like, “Oh shit, let me ride this out and do an EP. If it gets 10,000 streams, cool. If not, I’ll be a programmer.” But then I dropped the songs and it took off.
MW: So you took the gamble, and that’s why we got So Close to OK?
MF: Yeah, I took the gamble. So Close to OK came from that. After it happened, I was like, “Alright, I’m doing this thing.”
MW: Right, yeah. Daysinn is one of my favorites on that album. I freaking love that song, man.
MF: Thank you.
MW: When you’re making songs, just talking about the process, do you start with the track or the lyrics?
MF: I always start with the track, but I’m trying to reverse that order a bit to challenge myself.
MW: Right.
MF: Because I’m way more producer-minded — I want to make the song really good first, then add vocals.
MW: Yeah, that makes sense. I know you’ve talked about a lot of inspiration, like from different albums. Like More Than Dead to Me was about overcoming something in your life, and then Far From Perfect is kind of overcoming that even more — becoming a different version of yourself. But where do you normally get the inspiration for your lyrics, like more specifically?
MF: So, I don’t really like writing stuff that’s super specific — like “this happened, so I’m feeling this way.” I prefer to be vague and use metaphors because it’s more about feelings I’ve had during really dark times in my life. I channel those pockets of feeling and write about them in big metaphors. What happens then is fans come up and say, “I was going through this and your song helped me,” but sometimes other fans will say, “I was going through something totally different, and your song helped me.” So they get to interpret it however they want, and that’s what I think is special. I’m just trying to say my piece about feelings that are relatable no matter the details. Like, whether someone got dumped or their dad died, those are different but both about loss — and that’s what it’s about.
MW: Right, and it brings everyone together. That’s awesome. If you could talk about making music — from demo to final production — was there any track on Far From Perfect that changed the most?
MF: Oh, from demo to final? Yeah… I want to say Devil Girl.
MW: Really?
MF: Yeah, it was so different in the beginning, and it wasn’t even gonna make the album. But I came back to it while finishing everything and thought, “Dude, this is so surf curse or whatever.”
MW: That’s what I thought!! Oh my gosh.
MF: Yeah, I completely ripped out the original drums, produced new ones, remixed everything, cut all my vocals off and redid them. I was like, this is it. The song kind of Frankenstein-ed itself together, which happens a lot.
MW: Right, makes sense. It also kind of sounds like Vampire Weekend.
MF: Oh, nice!
MW: I remember blasting the album with my sister and going, “This one’s Devil Girl, the last track.”
MF: Oh, that’s fire. I haven’t heard that comparison before.
MW: Well, not to talk on the interview, but we were kind of singing it, and I was like, “Wait, what does it sound like? Na na na–” [imitates A- Punk’s guitar] and I was like, “It sounds like Vampire Weekend!” So I played the song again and thought, “I gotta talk to him about this.” I think I remember you posted a preview of Devil Girl with a picture of Megan Fox?
MF: Yeah, oh my gosh.
MW: And it sounded very different. I don’t know if you actually posted the demo, but—
MF: That was probably the early one.
Final Thoughts & Live Show Experience
MW: Yeah, I almost couldn’t believe how much Devil Girl changed. It was amazing. But yeah, I guess this is the last question — what’s something you hope people will feel or think about after hearing Far From Perfect live?
MF: I want them to just feel the energy, feel the emotion in the music, because a lot of it is pretty dark. I hope people can relate to that in a positive way. Also, listening to the album on headphones versus hearing it live is such a different experience, and that’s what’s so cool about this. It’s not just a DJ set — this is live bands, live vocals, and it’s special to be here and perform that. So I hope people get that appreciation for the live feel, which it seems like they do.
MW: Yeah, I think it’s definitely going that way. I’m excited to experience it myself. Thank you so much!
MF: Yes, thank you, Maddie.
MW: Thank you.
