Something for Nothing — Max Vanderwolf Lyrics

One of the songs on the album is "Something for Nothing" by Max Vanderwolf, released under "12 Little Killers" on July 20, 2022. Music from Vanderwolf could find its relation to the choral folk or hard-spiked blues and balladry from the psychedelic. This track, alongside others on the album, documents the fallibility of humans and the will to transcend. With production from Chris Wyles and mixing from Sam Sallon, the band's keyboardist and co-producer, the album captures very vividly the wide diversity in Vanderwolf's various musical influences, as well as his thoughts around the modern music industry and society-related issues.

The song was part of an attempt to keep the band together, compared with the idea of having a baby to save a marriage. It reflected in his music the failure of the music business and the move to streaming platforms, which often do not pay the artist right. Vanderwolf referred to the song as a "cry for help" in the upheaval of the music industry.

Annotations and Meaning: "Something for Nothing" is a short story that tries to focus on the problem of greed against the background of American capitalism and human greed. They would only, in their words, paint a world in which every one of them is looking for something for free. In reflection, this is seen to point criticism towards the modern consumerism and corporate greed. The song dealt with disillusionment in the contemporary music world, whereby artists get paltry pay at a time that streaming services offered and still offer minimal to no compensation for work.

The song underscores the frustration, resignation, and so many artists feel over these challenges with its gritty blues tone. But there is a defiance; one does not accept with meek silence what there is. In music, Vanderwolf brings a background of experience working with top figures in the music industry and a front-row look at the changes to the music landscape.