Meet the genre-defying musician bringing an affection for horror to her haunting debut album
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
Photography by Zachary Zelinsky @zachary.zelinsky
A guitar riff creeps in like an ominous apparition. Somewhere in the distance, a voice rises, beautiful... and vaguely threatening. The atmosphere grows heavier, and before long, the haunting melody begins to sound like a warning.
Enter the symphonic garden of Max Madly, where flora, fauna and decay make for intimate companions. Over a decade of classical training meets a rebellious affection for punk in her distinctive take on alternative rock, with compositions that wouldn't sound out of place in a horror film.
Madly's debut studio album, Garden of Neglect, arrived October 2, inviting listeners into a strange musical landscape where life flourishes alongside the rot. “Bones of Ours” is a personal favourite, its magnetic intensity making it difficult to resist another listen.
We had the pleasure of stepping into Max's studio to explore the influences behind her music and discover where her imagination might wander beyond the garden gate.
1. Congratulations on the October 2 release of your debut album, “Garden of Neglect!” It's positively chilling; we especially like its hauntingly atmospheric vibe and poetic undercurrent. We'd love to hear the story behind the album's concept. What inspired it, and what themes were you most interested in exploring?
“Garden of Neglect” is about many deaths and rebirths. As I was writing, I found myself coming back to the garden over and over. Gardens have shaped many parts of my life. I spent much of my childhood in my Mamichka’s, paternal grandmother’s, rose garden and art studio. I have such beautiful memories of her greeting us in that garden and of sun-soaked afternoons, sitting at her iron patio table while she would perform cartomancy and Turkish coffee readings.
The garden felt like the perfect setting for everything I wanted to say with the album. It has given me much solace, especially in the past two years. A garden holds so much. Promise of life, loss and decay, forgotten seeds, sweet returns. The album became a collection of moments endured by my own garden of neglect, nurturing me as I have nurtured it. A place that echoed the many gardens that built me. My grandmother’s ever-blooming rose garden, my father’s ever-evolving garden in Virginia, and the everlasting garden of my mind. Always in bloom yet welcoming the rot, forever growing through the gloom.
Photography courtesy of Max Madly featuring her Mamichka
2. Your previous singles introduced listeners to your music, but Garden of Neglect marks your first full-length album. How did developing a cohesive body of work change your approach to songwriting? Did the format give you opportunities to experiment that standalone releases hadn't?
“Garden of Neglect” marks the first time where I stepped beyond songwriting and discovered production. It was thrilling to directly translate what I was hearing in my mind into the music, rather than explaining my vision to someone else. I love collaborating with other musicians, and while half of the album was written with friends who helped breathe life into this record, (all my love to Fletcher, Pearce, Louie, and Nick) I wrote and produced six of the songs on my own, which I feel very proud of. I think that freedom unlocked a new version of my sound, starting with the title track of the album, which is the first song I ever produced. Following that, the rest of the album fell into place.
Writing ‘Bemiram’ was the last piece of the album to come together. Working with Louie Diller, of HOLYCHILD, and Nick Perez, of Holy Wars, was such a dream. They both instantly understood my vision for how I wanted to finish the album with an ultimately gut-wrenching sound. When I wrote ‘Delusion’ and “Bones of Ours” with Fletcher Barton and Pearce Gronek of Lonely Pirate Committee, the session instantly flowed. We hardly had any discussion about what we wanted the songs to sound like. I showed them the guitar riffs and melodies I wrote and then the songs took shape from there. It was the closest thing to magic I’ve ever experienced, which is a testament to their utter genius.
Photography by Whitney Otte @whitneyotte and Creative Direction/Set design by Venus Trjegul @venustrjegul
3. Your sound is seductively elusive, weaving together elements of experimental rock, dark alternative and heavier metal influences. What music shaped your tastes growing up, and how have those early influences found their way into the sound you're creating today?
Admittedly, I have quite a chaotic taste in art, which I think comes through in my own work. The throughline in all of it is where the dark meets the light. I would say that’s a consistent theme in anything I gravitate toward. I love creating a world of beauty and hope then stripping it all away into unfathomable rot and despair. It’s my favorite thing to listen to and to create.
I was exposed to classical music early on and trained in opera for close to 12 years until I got sick of its restrictiveness and started playing in punk bands. I think that dichotomy tells a lot of the story of my personal taste and how I like to create now.
Album art: Garden of Neglect by Max Madly
4. Your visual identity is every bit as distinctive as your music. Your cover art feels as though it belongs to an avant-garde gothic horror film, with imagery that is equally beautiful and intentionally unsettling. How do your music and visual storytelling influence one another?
That’s so kind, thank you. The cover of the album was taken in Atascadero, California, in August 2025, shortly after I finished writing the album. What you can’t see from just looking at the photo is that giant oak tree that I climbed onto was growing on a steep ledge, so I was suspended on a ridge and sitting at an angle where I needed to balance all of my bodyweight from pitching forward and falling down a steep hillside. The base of the tree was also covered in thistle and barbed weeds, which fit the story of the album perfectly. It was one of the more brutal shoots I’ve done, but very much worth it in the end.
I think my visual art and music have always informed one another. It’s hard for me to separate the two. I actually started out taking most of my photos and videos myself. I only recently started working with other artists (who are incredibly talented and credited in some of the photos featured). Creating my own visual content helps me express everything I want to say in connection with the music. I personally find a lot of beauty in dark and grotesque themes, so I typically lean into that by using myself as the canvas. I often experience this push and pull where I absolutely despise being in front of the camera and becoming the subject of perception, but then I feel a desperate need to express something, which usually wins out. I think that’s why I feel most comfortable sharing the ugliest, ghoulish parts of myself.
Cinematography by Isabella O'Brien @home.skillet and Set Design/Puppets created by Daniella Fayad @puppetswithteeth
5. Those creative worlds will converge this November with the release of your “Sweet Winter” music video, featuring the incredible creations of @puppetswithteeth. How did that collaboration come about, and what do you hope fans feel when they see it?
Daniella Fayad, known as @puppetswithteeth, is truly one of the most brilliant artists I have had the immense honour of working with. I’ve admired her work for some time now and took a chance by asking if she would be interested in filming something with me for “Sweet Winter.” I feel so lucky that she agreed to go down this rabbit hole with me.
Our collaboration felt incredibly special because it was like we were inhabiting the same creative world without even trying. Daniella is such a beautiful storyteller. I hope that when people watch, they will find themselves in the Otherworld we built around yearning, love through sacrifice, and the tides between the Moon and Sun.
Photography by Zachary Zelinsky @zachary.zelinsky
6. Take us inside your songwriting process. Does a new piece typically begin with a lyric, a melody or a feeling you're trying to capture? We're also curious about when the imagery that accompanies your music begins to take shape.
A multitude of things light my inner match, but usually it starts from a place of deep pain...when it feels like I have no other option but to create something.
I don’t do much thinking when I write. It’s all very intuitive and owned by how I’m feeling. I prefer to let things pour out when they’re ready. I’m not the type of artist to churn out singles like a machine. I’m more of a slow burner...I think that’s because I only write when I feel it calling to me, which allows a more true and earnest result in the end.
My songwriting process doesn’t carry much thought or intention. What you hear is a reflection of my inner world. I usually start by either making an atmospheric sound or playing a random riff on guitar, and once I like the sound enough, I’ll start singing over it. The lyric writing kind of happens all at once at the very start. I tend to really emphasize lyrics in my process, especially when I lean into spoken word.
The visual world I create comes afterward, but I also think it’s always subconsciously there while I’m making the music. Like when I wrote ‘The Weighing’ for example, it carried such a visceral feeling that was nearly physical. My most recent music video for ‘The Death of Edwina Morrow’ similarly evoked all the things I was seeing in my mind when I wrote the song. I swear, as I was writing the intro and first verse, I felt myself walking out to the sea.
Photography by Whitney Otte @whitneyotte and Creative Direction/Set design by Venus Trjegul @venustrjegul
7. Your first album is a major milestone! Looking back on the recording process, what was the biggest lesson you learned about yourself as an artist? Is there anything you're particularly excited to carry forward, refine or approach differently when the time comes to make your next record?
In making this record, I learned how to let go of internal pressures and accept that things will happen when they’re meant to. As soon as I started relinquishing my hold on what I was gripping onto so tightly, it felt like endless paths opened to me. I learned how to let the art take me forward instead of the other way around.
I’m looking forward to seeing my sound evolve as I continue exploring production. That part has been really exciting to me. I’m leaning into the idea of making a concept album that’s grounded in a complete story from start to finish. I’ve always gravitated toward those types of records as a listener and I think it would feel special to make one myself.
Photography by @ascadero
8. You've already developed such a compelling creative space of your own; if you could manifest a dream collab across music, film or visual art, who would you choose, and what would you dream of creating together?
I have a few exciting music and visual collaborations coming up that I can’t share yet, but besides those, I’ve always dreamed of scoring a horror film.
In fact, many recent songs, such as ‘The Death of Edwina Morrow,’ and ‘Delusion’ have been inspired after watching horror films then drawing connections to my own life experiences. If I ever had the opportunity to work with Robert Eggers or Guillermo del Toro, I could die fulfilled.
We have tremendous admiration for artists who trust their creative instincts, especially when those instincts lead somewhere unsettling or unorthodox. Max Madly has carved out a musical identity that is truly one of one, and we can't wait to see where she takes it next.
In the meantime, we're collectively manifesting a collaboration with Robert Eggers or Guillermo del Toro. A Max Madly horror soundtrack? We'd be first in line.
If you've found your way to The Lace Ledger, chances are you're one of the weirdos. Excellent company, if you ask us. Take a page from Max's book and embrace whatever makes your imagination run wild. Be brave enough to send up a flare. Your people will find you.
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