You’re Not Used To Spontaneity

Max Wonders “Utopia”

Max Wonders is still a teenager, but the grit and grain of his voice, not to mention his verbal dexterity, makes him seem a bit older. He definitely comes off as a guy shaped by experience, and while “Utopia” is basically just him trying to get some girl to get involved with him, the context of growing up in Chicago colors every line. I’m particularly interested in the suggestion of class conflict here when he tells her “you don’t know your neighborhood” because her parents moved her out of the city as a baby. “I can show you how we live,” he says, and while he doesn’t hammer the point, it’s a bit like a Chicago version of Pulp’s “Common People.” But instead of harshly judging this girl and condemning her luck and privilege, he’s just trying to share his world.

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