History of Guns man Max Rael has delivered one of 2025’s most interesting albums. By taking all of his electronica influences and fusing them with the spoken work aesthetic of his experimental project Decommisioned Forests, Max;s solo debut ‘The Enemy Is Us’ fuses a world of synth pop with strong 80s influences with touches of Kraftwerk which, joined by a world of slam poetry and introspective thoughts, to create a deeply personal record.

Personal it may be, but never in an exclusional way. There’s a real appeal in the material’s honesty. …And never more so than in the current single ‘Pressing Against The Glass’.

Almost dance-y, the number wastes no time in setting a busy beat in place, and the marriage between the programmed drum sounds and off-kilter tinkling – sounds like glass block sounds on a retro keyboard = creates an interesting insight into Rael’s quirkier side. There are moments where the melody swoops with grandiosity whilst Rael discusses feeling like a genuine outsider – the pressing against the glass metaphor is less than subtle – and others where the most dominant keyboard sounds feel as if they’ll drop into old 8-bit arcade machine soundtracks. The difference between the two extremes is striking, yet not as striking as Rael’s decision to have his voice half buried in the end mix. That really is the ultimate demonstration of the disconnect within his lyric.

In many ways, the track’s direct narrative and strong sense of melody makes it ideal as an advert for the album itself. It’s easy to hear why Max would choose this as part of the post-release promotion cycle. A genuine highlight from ‘The Enemy Is Us’, ‘Pressing Against The Glass’ is an equally charming stand alone listen. For those yet to check out the full release, there’s plenty here to pique your interest.

Check out the video below.
Read a full review of the album here.