Maeksll - When Sun Glows Through Rain

Sometimes discussing music can be a difficult endeavour, as you struggle to find the right words to capture the emotions you feel while listening. Other times, such as with the latest release by Maeksll, A Basel-based producer you only recently came into my radar, some of the heavy lifting is already done for you. Maeksll's When the Sun Goes Through Rain (2025) allows its title to speak volumes. The four-track self-released EP attempts to evoke the feeling of sodden concrete dump jackets and the excitable home of raindrops, all set against a fast-moving, unforgiving modern world.

When Sun Glows Through Rain demonstrates one of my favourite styles of dance music, where the artist uses the same pieces of hardware or software as a restriction, allowing their creativity to yield different outcomes track by track. The mainstays within this project are the extremely rounded kick drums and a bright, plucky synth. That's it. Obviously, there's a sprinkling of percussion, like high hats and ride cymbals, but that's by the by. The real magic lies in what these simple elements evoke in the listener. The title track, 'When Sun Glows Through Rain', showcases ghostly notes against the all-too-familiar shuddering heartbeat of thunderous techno beats. There's a quiet, dystopian horror that creeps in, superbly counterbalanced by the shrill notes. Whereas 'Before the Rain Returns' sees Maeksll focus on the Inhuman piano to create a mood and texture unlike the other tracks on the EP. Its sombre tone rarely lingers as filters Swept frequencies expand in a truly uplifting way. The riff rises defiantly against the brutalist backdrop.

With every beat of the kick drum, there's a ripple-like echo that dissipates behind it, like puddles in the crevices of unmaintained roads or uneven paving slabs. At the same time, the synthesiser leads sparkle, twinkling like the lights of fluorescent billboards refracting in those very puddles. More impressive still is the knife-edge 'Hot summer night in Shibuya' sits. Slow and methodical comes through in the glassy tones that seldom swell, chiming and ringing out with hushed elegance. While two glasses of whiskey round out the project nicely, Maeksll allows themselves to be more philosophic rather than Metaphoric. It's both astral and deeply heartfelt. Designed to transport you both backwards and forwards, there's a solemn swing that infects. The whole EP comes together like a blurry oil painting of dour city streets, largely devoid of humanity, while capturing the chilling prettiness of the stylised establishing shots of cinema's greatest directors.

Maeksll (2025)

Maeksll - When Sun Glows Through Rain