Max Rut’s ‘i used to think’ arrives with the soft glow of restraint, an indie-pop track that sidesteps the temptation to overstate, opting instead for intimacy, structure, and lyrical tension. What begins as a deceptively light tune gradually reveals the weight of its emotional baggage, shaped by the hindsight of a closeted twenty-something looking back on a relationship that crumbled under the strain of silence and self-editing.

‘Reflective, restrained, elegant’

-PurpleMistress

The melody, written over a decade ago and finally completed in 2021, bears the marks of long contemplation. There’s a certain elegance in the way the production carries the weight of that time in its balance. The track settles into a clean, mid-tempo groove with bright chords and unhurried pacing. It’s a song that knows how much is lost in the things we do not say, and how long it can take to find the language for them.

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