Colorado-born singer-songwriter Riley Max unveils her new song, “Pockets,” which explores thankfulness, transformation, and drifting away from a lover.
Max explains, “I started writing ‘Pockets’ after my freshman year of college, having grown apart from somebody that I will always really appreciate having had in my life. And then I sat on it for a while, unsure of where to go with it. But I came back to it after going through a bit of a rebuilding period, and I wrote the second verse. And then I sat on it for another year, until I finally finished the song after going through a pretty rough bout of anxiety between my sophomore and junior year. Ultimately, I realized that there are a lot of things I can point to at any given stage in my life that I’m really grateful for, and although I hadn’t quite realized it yet, that was the premise that I had been building on for the last three years as I wrote this song. After that, the music just fell into place.”
At 21, Riley Max is building a creative life that moves easily between music, film, animation, and performance. She wrote and recorded her debut album, ROYGBIV, when she was 18, and the project drew strong praise. Her second album is slated to drop this fall.
Max is a rising senior at Harvard University, where she studies Art, Film, and Visual Studies. On campus, she serves as music director of The Harvard-Radcliffe Veritones and regularly takes part in musical theater. Her storytelling voice grew out of an early love for ’90s romantic comedies and years of listening to ’80s music.
With “Pockets,” Max takes a clear step forward, revealing her evolution. The song blends indie-pop melody with warm folk textures, offering an intimate revelation of gratitude, distance, change, and emotional growth.
“Pockets” opens on a lightly strumming acoustic guitar topped by Max’s tender, lustrous vocals, vaguely reminiscent of Joni Mitchell. When the bassline enters, followed by glowing vocal harmonies, the song takes on depth and harmonic dimension. The feel and mood of the tune is nostalgic, wistful, and satisfyingly appreciative. It’s a fluid song with personality, vulnerability, and elegance.
With its warm, charming folk-pop surfaces, “Pockets” finds Riley Max at her best, exposing authentic emotions via her splendid voice.
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