After decades of time in the Los Angeles independent music scene, Max Foreman of indie pop band Bouquet and math rock band Tenebre is striking it out on his own with a debut solo EP. The self-titled, six-song release will be self-released on March 5, 2021 and today we’re premiering its second single, “Second Time Around.”

“Second Time Around” has a slow pace and humming atmospherics, allowing Foreman’s words and melodies to really sink in. The song is clearly influenced by ’60s psych and garage rock, most notably The Zombies and it’s heavy use of Mellotron and organ. The chorus features the song’s title, a melancholy notion that “Nothing ever feels the same / the second time around.”

“‘Second Time Around’ is a rumination on repeating the same experience again and again,” said Foremen. “In this song, the hidden story is that my garage was broken in early in the quarantine era and then broken in a month later. I had a trunk full of musical equipment stolen—then the second time they came back for my girlfriend’s bicycle. I wanted to channel the familiar themes of the Underground EP: when life is temporarily shaken up against the backdrop of more profound changes. Ironically, this has one of the more feel-good instrumentals of the whole record, with a nostalgic Zombies-esque alt rock Mellotron groove.”

Max Foreman EP track list

1. Open Eyes
2. State of Decay
3. Next Year in Paradise
4. Underground
5. Second Time Around
6. The Final Song