Max Frost

A musical prodigy turned one-man band, Max Frost is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who has poured his diverse influences into an eclectic, satisfying approach to pop music. Hailing from Austin, Texas, Frost was born in 1993 and began studying guitar at a local music camp when he was ten years old. Only two years later, Frost started playing in public, and developed a reputation as a promising blues guitarist. Before hitting his teens, Frost joined a local rock band called Joy Ride and backed young fiddler Ruby Jane Smith; later he became a member of Blues Mafia, a successful Austin blues and soul act, and worked with local roots rock hero Bob Schneider. However, while Frost was playing old-school R&B with Blues Mafia, on his own he began digging into fresher sounds, and found a mentor in Lone Star hip-hop artist Kydd Jones. Through Jones, Frost discovered the potential of electronic recording, and soon learned how to handle all the musical elements himself for a tune. In time, Frost was writing and recording songs that incorporated elements of contemporary R&B, classic soul, funk, and hip-hop with witty, understated lyrics. In 2012, just after beginning his second year at the University of Texas, Frost made a bold decision and dropped out of school to focus full-time on his music. The gambit paid off: he issued one of his songs, a sly soul-infused number called “White Lies,” as a digital single, and it quickly became a favorite with music bloggers and attracted the attention of major record labels. In August 2013, Frost signed a deal with Atlantic, which released Low High Low, a five-song EP featuring “White Lies,” just two months later. In 2014, Frost was keeping up with touring commitments while working on his next project, recording in Los Angeles as well as at the Loft, Wilco’s personal studio in Chicago, where he collaborated on a tune with Jeff Tweedy. A second EP, 2015′s Intoxication, saw him working with outside producers for the first time, including Benny Blanco and François Tétaz. Through 2016 and 2017, Frost released a steady stream of single tracks, including “Adderall,” “High All Day,” and “President,” as well as cutting collaborative tunes with Mike Waters (“Drowning”) and Lovespeake (“Novocaine”). Early 2018 found Frost touring with Grizfolk and dropping another single, “Good Morning,” which landed on his debut LP Gold Rush. To promote the effort, he hit the road with Awolnation and Twenty One Pilots. ~ Mark Deming