April 26 of 2026 marks ten years since the official and definitive release of Swimming To The Stars (A) and Swimming To The Stars (B). Originally conceived as a single album and momentarily released on bandcamp in 2015, I made the decision to pull the record down, rework some of the guitars, remove one song and add two more, and split the project into two stylistically distinct (and more coherent) EPs. The process of making this record essentially birthed the band.  

In 2014, I had just returned from a year of working overseas and I found myself staring down a major transition in my life. I was burnt out of the path I had been on and I felt like my lifelong dream of being in a really boundary breaking band was quickly slipping through my fingers. I had to try to create some music, even if it was just me working by myself. I had written a solid batch of songs in the past few years and was ready to take a chance on them.

My good friend Kyron Newbury became an absolutely indispensable part of the process, assisting me through the recording process and playing a vast majority of the drums and percussion that made it onto the double EP with only a few exceptions.

The process of making this record saw me meeting new people and bringing more of a team on board. I made an attempt at releasing an admittedly disjointed project, then pulled it down from Bandcamp and reworked the project as a double EP rather than full length album. Side A of Swimming To The Stars established our core prog metal sound and side B gave voice to the “singer-songwriter” side of me that had mostly carried my musical identity up to that point via church and such.

This era was full of discovery for me and I can’t say enough about how important it was for who I became as a person. This record has never done huge numbers or been impressive in that way. But I would the person I am today without having done this project. And to me, that’s the biggest win.

Here is a short documentary I made back around the time that we had completed the project. It's simple and maybe a bit crude compared to my later video work, but it's a time capsule and a reminder of many lessons learned and friendships made along the way. 

I'm thankful for all the people who have been part of that journey along the way. 

-Max