I was asked recently how I decide which singles, albums or EPs I review. The answer is rather boring and goes back to our general reviews policy. I review something and publish it if I feel I want to recommend it, if it contains something I genuinely enjoyed. I also quite like listening to, and discovering, new music; letting a new artist introduce themselves to me and surprising my son’s friends because I actually know more modern music than they do! Aside from that, you meet me today on a wet morning somewhere in the north of England, ready for warmer climes next week! But before that, here is the press release for the new single by Riley Max, followed by my review.
Press Release:
Riley Max is a 21-year-old singer-songwriter and multimedia artist from Colorado. Her debut album “ROY G BIV” – recorded at just 18 years old – received widespread acclaim, and her second album is set to release this fall. She is a rising senior at Harvard University, where she studies Art, Film and Visual Studies. She is also the music director of The Harvard-Radcliffe Veritones, and appears in a wide variety of musical theater productions. Her penchant for storytelling stems from an early love of 90s rom-coms and childhood exposure to copious amounts of 80s music, and extends beyond just music.
Her new single “Pockets” is a folk-drenched indie pop embrace. She shares,
“In a lot of ways, Pockets really does feel like the culmination of the three years since I last had a big release. Making “ROYGBIV” was super fun, and I was free to experiment however I wanted, but I wasn’t quite sure what I liked and didn’t like yet, so I relied a lot on input from those around me when creating the musical accompaniment to go with my lyrics.
Pockets, on the other hand, is quintessentially me. 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.”
My review.
This single was released on 31 July 2026 and is available now on all major streaming platforms.
“Pockets” is a stripped-back pop/folk song about sitting playing chess, telling jokes, getting kissed and deciding you should hit the road. It’s one of those whimsical little songs about pockets of love and those small moments in life that come and go, often in the most unexpected ways. It is very much a song for me to have breakfast to, making myself some toast and having a cheerful little earful of music to get me ready for the day.
“Year One” is another track I listened to because I wanted a better idea of the girl and her music. This song is sadder, filled with a sense of loss and far more night-time than “Pockets.” Again, it is a really stripped-back acoustic piece, although it adds a little drum and cymbal section midway through. Lyrically, it muses on those moments when you simply don’t want to be told it is over.
“Violet” is one of a group of colour-based tracks available to listen to from Riley. It is a rocky number with bitterness, angst and attitude—even if it asks for quiet and solitude. It explores the frustration of dealing with someone who constantly seeks conflict and argument, about being pushed away when all you really want is peace. It rips along at under three minutes and was completely unexpected after listening to the other two tracks. Actually, I really liked this one; it is a bit of a blast.
Riley Max clearly has more than one musical string to her bow. While “Pockets” offers a gentle, thoughtful introduction, a quick listen to some of her other material reveals an artist who is equally comfortable exploring darker emotions and turning up the volume when the song demands it. She is certainly someone worth keeping an eye on as that second album approaches.
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Stream music from Riley Max here
By Lorraine Foley
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