Max Stanley Unveils His Dreamlike Solo Venture Beans The Band

The Melbourne musician Max Stanley showcased recently his new solo project Beans The Band with his debut single "Delone," the first track he's ever written and the first look into his musical progression.

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Under the new moniker Beans The Band, Max Stanley recently self-released his debut single "Delone" on October 7. Mixed and mastered by the incredibly prolific and talented Melbourne musician Liam "Snowy" Halliwell (Snowy Band, The Ocean Party), the lead single is the first glimpse of Stanley's upcoming debut EP Plural Views and glimpse of how Stanley's musicianship has evolved over the years.

While fronting the art pop trio Grey Whistle Test, Stanley wrote and recorded "Delone" back in 2016 in his bedroom with a Rhode USB mic. He had no vision during the recording —‌ it was simply an exercise in getting better at playing and had no intention ever being released Stanley says.

"I think this project's inception really came out of the desire to just casually put music out and really actualize some of the songs I've been quite lazily and casually making over the years," Stanley said via email. "I suppose most great moments seem to somehow just travel through you like they have always been there. I often use music as a way to just sit in my own head and go somewhere else. I guess guided by this, the music will always be somewhat solitary."

Built around a cozy stream of freak folk-styled acoustics that weave in breezy pop melodies and warm atmospherics, "Delone" is a meditation on how complex our dreams are. It also explores the idea of how telling and emotionally excavating a dream can be in your headspace despite how expansive and connective it may seem. Similar to what Stanley achieves with GWT, the near-five minute cut is a deeply layered and dazing listening experience.

"The tone of the song musically is what pulled out the concept of the song's lyrics. I would like someone to say that it made them incredibly tired and they fell into the best sleep they have ever had," Stanley added.

The new single is also accompanied by a hazy, Godfrey Reggio-inspired visual that provides another layer to the mesmerizing listening experience.

"The idea was really just guided by this little HD camcorder I bought years ago and would taken on camping trips," Stanley said. "I was looking back over footage in lockdown and began cutting things together just to bring up some nostalgia. The overlaid imagery I suppose was a way of contextualizing it all, everyone loves sunsets but not four minutes straight of random sunsets."

In a press release Stanley wrote, "Plural Views is a collection of songs written over the past five years exploring the multiple perspectives that make up any singular version of a 'true' interpretation of an event."