As far as influences go, choosing Circa Survive is a solid move and Florida’s Makari manage a convincing replication of the genre-giants’ ambient, atmospheric alt-rock on their debut EP. ‘Elegies’ provides a strong introduction to the band, but they still have a way to go before they’ll be emulating the success of their aforementioned peers.
‘Blossom’ provides a solid start with ambient, twinkling guitars that add atmosphere to mid-tempo drums, all beneath an impressive vocal display. However, as the EP progresses through ‘Not Enough’ and ‘Afterglow’, a pattern starts to emerge in the instrumentation, relegating the early promise of interesting musicianship to repetitive, formulaic structures. The ambient lead guitar lines that provide much of the atmosphere and interest to begin with, become background noise as they continue to follow predictable patterns. The drums also continue at a consistent mid-tempo throughout, making it difficult for songs to be distinguished through their own identities.
It’s left to the vocals to be a differentiator and though vocalist Spencer Pearson has an impressive voice, the vocal parts aren’t distinctive or creative enough to elevate the EP. With a range and tone similar to Anthony Green, the technical qualities of Pearson’s voice are on clear display throughout the five tracks but without stronger hooks and melodies to convince the listener come back for more, Pearson’s efforts are commendable, but they’re neither memorable nor exciting.
‘Elegies’ doesn’t set the world on fire, but it does highlight a rich vein of talent that’s bound to yield results in the future. This debut EP provides an introduction to a group of strong musicians and an excellent vocalist and if the band can find a way to carve their own identity into the solid foundations set by ‘Elegies’ they’ll be able to stand out from the crowd and secure longevity.
MARK JOHNSON