Releasing his first songs this year, Max Runham’s sound is impressively polished. With a soulful sound and modern country twang that echoes the likes of Chris Stapleton and the Teskey Brothers, ‘Your Trouble Is Mine’ is the epitome of easy-listening music.

Seasoned with warm brass and snare-heavy drumming, this song has a comforting air to it, whilst the underlying grooves and melodic composition make for a really interesting listen. With so many layers of instrumentation and clever progressions, I have picked up on something new that I love every time I’ve listened to this song. Whether it’s bright flares of saxophone and trumpet, or a beautifully blended harmony that I hadn’t tuned into before, I really enjoy how this song has been produced.

‘Your Trouble Is Mine’ is just as comforting lyrically as it appears instrumentally. Described by Runham as being about “the duty of care we have for a friend when they find themselves unable or unwilling to care for themselves”, it speaks of a truly heartwarming sentiment. The thing I like here, though, is that Runham’s approach is not melancholy or negative, instead taking the stance of being uplifting and reassuring.

In a true testament to the philosophy of “a problem shared is a problem halved”, this track is very clever in its emotional articulation. Not glossing over the ‘trouble’, but not dwelling on it either, I think it’s a great perspective on the humanness of relationships and how it feels to care about another person.

‘Your Trouble Is Mine’, along with the EP of the same name released in late December, has acted as the perfect musical lead into 2025 for me - I have all the songs added to my playlists already. If this is the quality of Runham’s first EP, I’m very excited to see what is in store next.