Some Much Needed Family Time
Everyone needs a bit of family time now and again. However, it seems like I’m slightly overdosing on Family Time currently, ever since being introduced to Max and Oscar. The enigmatic Spanish duo recently brought out their latest single ‘New Positions’ at the start of September which dominated our kitchen speakers that month. The floating piano chords paired with the lulling yet seductive saxophone and overplayed with deep velvety vocals make for a triple layered cake of glory. The cherry on said cake has to be their beautiful live session video they put out last week.
With many different rumours floating around regarding where they’re actually from and how they came to be, we decided to get the facts straight once and for all and sat down with Max & Oscar to talk about the live session, Mallorca all-inclusive holidays, and what’s on the horizon for Family Time.
LB: Are you brothers or am I just jumping the gun with the ‘family’ thing?
Oscar: Thanks for having us. We are, in fact, cousins. There seems to be a steady stream of misinformation regarding our family bond—which is probably our fault—but it is really no secret. Our last performance together was actually at a family reunion.
Running with the family thing, if you could pick a famous musical mum and musical dad who would you have? Who would you want to be spending some quality family time with?
Max: Let’s go for Laurie Anderson and Brian Eno, the ultimate space couple, wholesome and inspiring as could be.
Can you fill us in on the all-inclusive Mallorca holiday tour? We’ve heard whispers but want it from the horse’s mouth.
Oscar: Sure. It’s true that accounts often differ and there's not much in the way of a historical consensus…
In Mallorca, 2017, we self-recorded a debut album nobody was asking for, which would years later be released as The Great Abismo. Family Time was just a name on a hard drive at this point. We’d been burnt out by previous musical experiences and didn’t want to loose the spark too soon, so we decided to take the thing on the road with a brave new band and play exclusively for the hotel audiences of mainland Spain. The album was all centered around a hotel band, so it was like steeping it in its own clay, letting it ring out through lobbies and lounges. We played for all kinds of people, Russians, Britons, French. Sometimes getting great reactions, other times less so. That went on for a bit til we felt comfortable enough to make another move.
Where is home to you? We’ve heard murmurs of London, Berlin, Spain and general Europe… which one has your heart?
Max: I’m currently based in Berlin and Oscar is in London, you can probably tell it’s not the smartest move when it comes to rehearsing and recording, but we’re managing it surprisingly well for now. My heart can be found wherever my dear Oscar is.
Who came up with the location & idea for the shoot?
Oscar: This was actually filmed in Barcelona, in an impressive 19th century building that you would never imagine to be hiding where it is. The new stuff we’re putting out now is all born out of a strange experience in a South London café, which at one point seemed to contain within it all the cafés to ever have existed. This then had me spiralling into the world of fin-de-siècle Viennese café culture. We wanted the music to live in that sort of environment and this place seemed to conjure it up, almost as ruins.
I especially like the table with the lamp and tea cup. Favourite kind of tea?
Max: I’m more of a coffee person myself. I don’t feel too comfortable talking about tea with a London-based magazine.
I really like the set-up with both of you being on keys. Have you ever considered sharing a piano?
Oscar: The best part of that is facing each other. It can be a real test of our onstage chemistry, cause we’re just on each other’s face. Sometimes Max will be doing a synth solo an I’m just sitting there watching him go. It’s nice. I like to stand and move about though, I think I’m standing more often than not.
Who have you been listening to recently? Who should we know about? What is next for you guys? Spill the tea.
Oscar: Our bass player and spiritual sponsor is now involved in a very inspiring little band called Fotos de la Novia. We strongly encourage you check their stuff out. Next up from us is a steady multimedia storm in the form of new music, state-of-the-art filmmaking and arrestingly theatrical live shows. It’s all coming at once.
You’re coming home from a big night out and are on the Last Bus home. What are you listening to?
Max: Let’s go for good old Aphex Twin, his ambient oriented tracks always take me into a nice headspace, ‘#3’ being a good example.
Follow them on IG to stay up to date with all things familial, fall in love with them and add all of their songs to all of your playlists.
