There’s a certain type of song that walks a tightrope between classy and painfully middle-of-the-road, and if you’re not careful you fall straight into background-music purgatory. Thankfully, Sheffield’s Max Restaino mostly avoids that trap on Before I Lose Faith In You, though he definitely flirts with the edge of it a couple of times.
From the first few seconds you can tell this isn’t chasing TikTok trends or trying to muscle its way into the indie landfill that dominates half the UK guitar scene. Instead it leans into something warmer, richer and frankly a bit more grown-up. The acoustic guitar and piano settles in early, giving the track a gentle backbone before the saxophone creeps into the mix like it owns the bloody place. And to be fair, it sort of does. That sax line is the track’s secret weapon, lifting what could have been a straightforward pop ballad into something far more textured and cinematic.
Restaino’s voice is where the song really finds its footing though. There’s a crooner warmth to it – the kind of delivery that sounds like it belongs in a dimly lit bar at midnight rather than fighting for space on daytime radio. It carries the emotional weight of the song convincingly, which matters because the whole premise is basically a relationship teetering right on the edge of collapse. You can hear the tension in the way the vocals rise during the chorus, as if he’s trying to hold something together that’s already half-broken.
Credit also has to go to the arrangement. The subtle key changes give the song a bit of movement, and that’s important because jazz-leaning pop can sometimes get stuck in its own polish. Here, the shifts keep things interesting without feeling like musical showing off. Considering this was recorded in Restaino’s own studio during the chaos of the pandemic, the production is impressively clean and confident. It doesn’t feel like a lockdown compromise; it feels deliberate.
There’s also a slight lyrical predictability at times. The theme of love hanging by a thread is universal for a reason, but a few lines drift close to cliché. Given the musical sophistication elsewhere, pushing the storytelling into slightly more unexpected territory would elevate the track even further.
Still, it’s hard to deny the charm of the thing. Before I Lose Faith In You sits in that rare space where jazz sensibilities meet accessible pop without either side completely suffocating the other. The BBC giving it track of the week isn’t exactly shocking when you hear it in full context. There’s real craft here, and you can tell Restaino isn’t just throwing sounds at a wall hoping something sticks.
More importantly, it feels authentic. In a landscape full of disposable singles engineered for algorithms, this sounds like it was written by someone who actually gives a damn about melody, musicianship and emotional honesty.
If Restaino keeps leaning into the jazz elements and pushes his songwriting just a little further out of the safe zone next time, he could end up carving out a really distinctive lane for himself. Right now, he’s hovering somewhere between smooth sophistication and cautious pop – but when those two sides click properly, it’s bloody lovely to listen to.
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