Ty Maxon - “Trouble in Mind”

Ty Maxon recently dropped us an email containing his song, “Trouble in Mind,” an intricately finger-plucked, indie folk number that is recorded with such a vintage vibe, it feels like staring at the contents of a time capsule. Maxon left Chicagoland for Michigan in 2020, when COVID was in full swing, so that he and his partner could manage a small inn in the woods overlooking Lake Leelanau. And while that sounds like the perfect place to write and record his next ten or so folk records, you’re absolutely right, because that’s exactly where “Trouble in Mind” was born. It’s the kind of song you want to hear on those long commutes through the suburban back roads, watching the trees lose their last hints of life.

This is one of two singles available off of his upcoming LP, Songs from the Frozen Lake, due out on December 1, just a couple of weeks away. And we gotta tell ya, after hearing this one, we immediately pressed play on “Highway in Wintertime” and this dude is simply fantastic. His acoustic guitar playing is phenomenal and he’s got the heart of the genre tucked deeply into his voice, causing him to simultaneously sound familiar, yet like no one you’ve ever heard before. When you cruise over to his Bandcamp, you’ll find these two singles, but you’ll also find a treasure-trove of older tracks, all waiting for you to play.

As everyone knows, COVID threw a major wrench into the machine of life, and things were uncertain for quite some time. Out of necessity, many uprooted their lives to try and begin them again elsewhere. Maxon says, “Ultimately, these songs chronicle that time and transition in my life and explore themes of death, goodbyes, regret, fear, uncertainty as well as rebirth, hope and the kind of clarity that comes when the dust has settled a bit. This album was recorded during the winter when the inn is closed for the season and the only view from the window is the frozen lake.” And man, we cannot wait to hear the rest of it.

-TM