“I want it to be a celebration of instrumental guitar in all its forms,” says Michael Astley-Brown, the man behind Maebe. Raised in the Cotswolds, Astley-Brown grew up on grunge and pop-punk before discovering the joys of post-rock at university. Hearing Mogwai proved a transformative experience, because “it made me realise I don’t need a singer to get my ideas across”.
The love of guitar led to a career in music journalism writing for Guitar World before a series of personal upheavals provided the impetus for Maebe’s eponymous 2020 debut. “I was like, ‘The shit has really hit the fan, why don’t I try to do this thing I’ve always wanted to do? I’m going to make an album.’”
