Makari has been around in some format for almost a decade, but the time has come that they’ve released their best work yet.
Off the heels of the unbelievable Hyperreal and its stripped-down Alternate EP, the band paid a visit to legendary producer Andrew Wade, who’s recorded the likes of A Day to Remember & The Ghost Inside, to record five pieces for a new EP, Continuum.
EP’s tend to get overlooked in comparison to albums since they have less tracks, but I see them as opportunities to condense a band’s efforts so that there’s not a hint of filler. And that is completely the case for Makari’s Continuum. With a mere 20-minute runtime, the only issue is that we’re left wanting more.
Makari can be characterized as progressive/alternative, but has so many unique quirks that set them apart from sounding like any one other band. One song, “Reflection”, will add steel pedal guitar, right before a bridge sees the electric counterpart tap a divine melody. While the star power of vocalist Andy Cizek gets the spotlight in the angst-tinged verses and definitive choruses, the instruments can’t be understated and deserve to be absorbed in multiple listens. The drumming on display is bouncy and boisterous, very underrated in the grand scheme of Makari’s sound. In addition, the layering between multiple guitars and vocal harmonies makes Makari a complex, rewarding listen. The ambient soundscapes leading into choruses that will get crammed in your head put the band in must-hear, no-skips territory for me.
I got to speak with members Eric and Matt on the new release timing and what went into it:
The New Fury: How much did the lockdown shake up the state of Makari in 2020?
Eric & Matt: Pretty huge change for us considering how the spring usually starts our touring for the year. Next best thing we could do was record the EP and execute on the timeframe better. Long-term effects of this are pretty huge.
The New Fury: Andy is in so many projects, but it truly feels like Makari is his main focus. How do you keep up with his busy schedule?
Eric & Matt: We have our calendar set up and we keep that updated since he has so much going on. Andy does a good job of making the time between touring/recording to make it his main focus. Technology helps us a lot once we set up a Google Calendar so everyone can see what needs to happen when and coordinate between each other. He manages a good balance all-around!
The New Fury: How refreshing is it to go fully independent now that this is your first release without a label in 5 years?
Eric & Matt: It was a mixture of being anxious but also being grateful to even be in a position where everyone is still on-board and passionate. To go out there and get the press/vinyl ourselves and all the small business tasks is a lot to navigate but everyone is a bit more mature now and we can still make it without the label and it’s gonna pay off starting with this record. We put more effort into this release since it was all on us!
The New Fury: The progressive side of Makari really comes out in Continuum. What was your favorite song to work on for this release?
Eric & Matt: I really enjoyed all of the tracks equally, but my favorite one was between Let Go and a non-single. The drums have a cool dance beat and it’s a hype-you-up kinda song. I would definitely say my favorite is also a non-single. It shows who we are as a band and there’s a steel guitar part in it which we haven’t had yet in our music.
The New Fury: You’ve toured with genre greats like Kurt Travis and Wolf & Bear, who are you looking forward to getting back on the road with when it’s safe?
Eric & Matt: We’d love to play with Hail the Sun, Eidola, DGD, big dream would be Circa Survive. All a big influence on us.
The New Fury: What was recording with Andrew Wade like?
Eric & Matt: He did our other record, he’s a lot of fun to work with. He’s not afraid to take our stuff a notch up, he can really open a
song up and show us a totally different sound than what we had started with.
A big thank you to Makari for speaking with New Fury. We’re huge fans and glad to hear more great music with Continuum. Stream the EP below!
Rating: 9/10
spotify:album:0XrbSh4vzemgMbQ8sXZsDm
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