Has A Midlife Crisis has been 17 years in the making, the new album 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. Ahead of the album’s arrival, the artist has shared the track “Oxycontin Drunk”.

Midlife Crisis 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
Has A Midlife Crisis
Tracklisting

01. Oxytocin Drunk
02. Tomboy Femme
03. Crying in K-Mart
04. Subcision Scars
05. Sinéad

Applied Communications 2024 Tour Dates

4/12 – Richmond, VA – The Rabbit Hole w/ Lobby Boy (part of Lurchfest)
4/13 – Harrisonburg, VA – Crayola w/ Lobby Boy, Destructo Disk
4/27 – Brooklyn, NY – Bed-Stuy Art House w/ Lobby Boy, Emperor X (DJ set)
04/19 – Richmond, VA
04/20 – Baltimore, MD
04/26 – Washington, DC
04/27 – Brooklyn, NY

almost twenty years since their last major release as Applied Communications, Max entered a stark depression. At the same time, they started receiving a confusing series of social media messages and emails. Max realized a TikTok influencer named Madeline Pendleton had asked her followers to figure out what happened to Applied Communications. By combing through archive.org and buying CDs on Ebay, her followers were able to piece together the story of this forgotten band – posting the recovered music on Youtube, geeking out over these discoveries in the comments, and even launching a fansite.

This wave of post-hoc validation from similarly alienated young people made Max recommit to making music as a way to escape depression. And it worked! (Well, that plus all the therapy and ketamine.) Max’s journey out of depression is explained in Applied Communications Has a Midlife Crisis, a 5-song EP coming out April 26, 2024.

Pre-Order Has A Midlife Crisis by Applied Communications HERE