“So turn off all the lights in my room/Pretend the walls are someone to talk to.”
Andy Cizek joining Makari in 2017 came at the exact perfect moment for both parties. Cizek was clearly looking for a new project that would give him the opportunity to showcase his artistic diversity, as evidenced by his choices of YouTube cover songs, which were gaining popularity at that time.
As for Makari, the progressive-leaning post-hardcore band had seemingly stagnated after periods with two different lead vocalists, and still hadn’t released a full-length album. When Cizek joined, the band felt instantly rejuvenated, releasing the excellent debut album Hyperreal and touring extensively off of its success.
Now, nearly six years removed from that initial rush of creativity, it’s a fair question to ask if Makari could recapture the carefully balanced blend of flashy technicality and pop hooks that made them win over many fans of the modern post-hardcore scene. Cizek is now splitting his time between more projects than ever, and Makari’s output seemed for a time to have slowed dramatically because of this.
Thankfully, Wave Machine proves to be another thoroughly enjoyable release from the Florida quintet. While not dramatically departing from their core strengths as a band, the album does represent a noticeable expansion of Makari’s sonic world, digging much deeper into the accessible stylings of pop punk and alt rock. The result is some of the band’s most hook-centric and eclectic work to date.
Opener “Eternity Leave” kicks off in familiar fashion, while hinting at some of the diversity to come. An instantly infectious lead guitar riff is complemented well by one of Cizek’s most memorable vocal hooks to date… “I don’t know what to tell you” is sure to be lodged into the listener’s brain after a single listen.
The third track “Gold Palace Kingdom” is around where the band’s growing pop rock ambitions become more apparent. Opening with surprisingly lush synths and bouncy bass, the song is decidedly chill by the band’s past standards, more likely to be the soundtrack to a summer drive than a mosh pit. “Closer” is built around similarly sunny sonic textures that provide an enjoyable contrast with the more downcast lyrical content.
Overall, the expanded use of synths and brighter textural elements makes for a welcome growth of Makari’s sound. If any criticism can be leveled at the album’s tight 11-song runtime, it’s that their experimentation occasionally feels hamstrung by not wanting to stray too far from their tried-and-true core sound.
This feels most apparent on closer “And Now We Sleep In Endless Ocean”. The slow-building love song is a welcome change of pace from much of the band’s past work. However, one can’t help but wonder how much more power the song’s structure would contain if the band had allowed it to build over five or even six minutes, and to reach a more towering climax. As it stands, its standard three-and-a-half minute runtime feels oddly truncated, like the band had the makings of a truly epic closer but got cold feet halfway through. It’s a pretty but surprisingly listless way to send off the album.
Despite these reservations, Wave Machine remains a great addition to Makari’s discography, one that continues to establish them as one of the most promising upcoming acts in the modern alternative scene. If they push their growing sonic ambitions even further on their next release, they could arrive at something truly special.
7/10
Wave Machine is out March 8th as an independent release, and you can pre-order it here.