Exclusive track premiere of ‘Sinéad’ by Applied Communications, taken from the upcoming EP, ‘Applied Communications Has A Midlife Crisis,’ out April 26th, 2024.

‘Applied Communications Has a Midlife Crisis’ is a comeback EP – 17 years in the making – from Max Wood (a.k.a. Applied Communications). It’s a collection of five alt-pop songs that navigate Max’s journey through depression, gender dysphoria, existential panic, and self-love. While more accessible and beat-driven than past Applied Communications records (such as the polarizing ‘Uhhh Sort Of ‘), … ‘Midlife Crisis’ remains deeply personal and idiosyncratic.

Lead single ‘Sinéad,’ is a collaboration with Emperor X that tells the story of a psychotic break on the beach. “Sinéad is about a pretty intense mental breakdown I had while visiting Los Angeles for work. I tried to capture the anxiety and mania of those feelings, but also keep the spirit of the song off-kilter and not too serious. I had a version of the song that was more straightforward and poppy, but it didn’t feel right. I then sent it to my friend Emperor X, who did all kinds of bizarre unexpected things to the music. I took his edits, doubled down on them, and ended up with a version that felt way more authentic to the experiences I had that day.” – Max Wood (Applied Communications)

The EP was mixed by Scoobert Doobert (CHAI, Victor Marc) and mastered by Riley Knapp (Rosie Tucker, Lou Roy), who elevated the sound far beyond previous Applied Communications efforts.

Applied Communications Official Website / Instagram / Twitter / Bandcamp