5 Songs I Love w/ Ary Maudit

Following the release of their debut single 'No Intention', Flex caught up with London-based artist Ary Maudit to find out what influences their punchy alt-pop-punk sound. If you enjoy Ary's picks, be sure to check out 'No Intention' at the end of the article.

1. Jesus Of Suburbia – Green Day

An absolute 9 minutes and 8 seconds of punk rock opera perfection — if such a thing exists, this band invented it. Green Day have been pivotal in my creative journey and heavily influenced the way I write songs. As a teenager, I strongly identified with lyrics like: “Land of make believe, and it don’t believe in me.”

Growing up in a small town in Southern Italy in the early 2000s, I was always considered the weirdo because I liked punk music, dyed my hair red, and skateboarded. That might sound fairly normal in a big city or somewhere like the UK, but where I grew up it was unusual enough to make you stand out immediately. This song became the soundtrack to that feeling of alienation and wanting something bigger than the world around me.

2. Good Fortune – PJ Harvey

Like most music I truly love, it all starts with the lyrics. At one point in my life, I went through a long period of misfortune and became quite hopeless. One sunny day, I woke up and went out for a motorcycle ride to shake my thoughts away, and the opening chords of this song came on through my Tidal rotation playing through my earbuds. I found myself singing: “And I feel like some bird of paradise / My bad fortune slipping away,” and something genuinely shifted in my mindset.

I later got “Good Fortune” tattooed on my right arm as a reminder that things can always change for the better if you shift your perspective. Just get a motorcycle and listen to PJ Harvey.

3. The Young and the Hopeless – Good Charlotte

Similar to Green Day, Good Charlotte was one of my earliest introductions to music as a teenager. They helped me develop an ear for vocal harmonies and counter-melodies, which still influences me today.

I recently revisited this song because of my growing intolerance towards how constructed and orchestrated the music industry can feel, even when they are presented as authentic. Lyrics such as: “No one in this industry understands the life I lived, When I sing about my past, it’s not a gimmick, not an act,” resonate with me deeply as someone from a humble background who carved out their space through endless gigs, pub shows, and difficult jobs (including being a live sound engineer) just to keep pursuing music.

I never really saw many of the so-called “trust fund punks” in those environments, and perhaps that’s why this song still connects with me so strongly.

4. Sultans of Ping – Delta Sleep

I honestly do not know much about the band, and I would not describe myself as a math rock connoisseur — in fact, I am terrible at maths. However, I absolutely love the way this track is constructed. A very ‘watery track’ with loads of ocean/water sound imagery. It makes me feel like I am floating above water.

The layering of the guitars, from tiny clean riffs to huge reverberated chords, creates something incredibly immersive. The song starts in a restrained and mellow way before gradually building into an emotional crescendo supported by gang vocals.

As a music producer and sound engineer, I cannot help but listen to these details and imagine how the track was built during the recording and production process, to eventually absorb it into my creative practice.

5. Is It Light Where You Are – Art School Girlfriend

This track comes from an album I listened to a fair amount during a very transitional period in my life, so I feel attached to its atmosphere and sound design. Listening to it now brings back those memories with a sense of warmth and understanding.

The song appears to revolve around a breakup and feels like a conversation between two people living in different time zones — something I experienced often while touring. Because of that, this track has resurfaced at different points in my life over the years.

The lyric “I always wake up for no reason I think it out into the dark I go changing with the season” resonates deeply with me and the way I used to process difficult emotions. I am a fan of Art School Girlfriend in general, but this is the track that remains closest to my heart the most.

I might even attempt a punk rock version of it one day — if I’m allowed.

Listen to Ary Maudit - NO INTENTION

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