Makeout Party Lengths And Limits (Self-Released)
Release Date: May 2008
1. Sparks
2. Back To Your Ways
3. Conditional Needs
4. Lengths & Limits
5. General Sherman Lost His Arm
6. Cut Two Years
7. Left You Behind
8. Are We Sinking?
9. Don’t Hold Your Breath
10. When You Find It, Let Me Know
11. 11/97
There’s a certain tongue-in-cheek, inside joke quality to naming your band MAKEOUT PARTY. After all, first impressions are important, and the thought of sweetly-innocent necking sessions in a dark basement shared between a gathering of undersexed teenagers is probably the last thing you’d associate with being a serious musician.
And while it’s apparent that Cherry Hill, New Jersey’s Makeout Party is not without a sense of humor, it’s also quite clear that Lengths And Limits contains more than enough songwriting chops and unforgettable hooks to cast aside any doubts of the band’s talent. In fact, as opener “Sparks” slowly rises and crashes into a gorgeous pool of swirling strings and plaintive keys, and soaring harmonies ring out with undeniable sincerity, any thoughts of after school exploits are quickly erased in anticipation of the next 40 minutes of poignant indie rock.
Perhaps Length And Limits’ greatest strength is how these songs range from tender to tough, seamlessly shifting from the honest, folky strumming on the title track to more dramatic emo-outburst on numbers such as “General Sherman Lost His Arm.” Makeout Party explores jangly, fuzzy indie territory on “Left You Behind” while closer “11/97” boasts moments of full-tilt pop bliss. The band’s relatively young age is betrayed by an unmistakable maturity which allows mid-tempo compositions to develop and flourish at their own pace. Still, well-timed bursts of energy, nimble, interweaving guitar lines and a propulsive drum beat keep things at toe-tapping levels. Vocalist Carmen Cirignano’s delivery is unassuming but tunefully genuine; it’s a beacon – a touchstone of security – confidently shining a path for the band to follow and for the listener to tightly grab a hold of.
More importantly, Makeout Party fully understands how to conjure warm textures, wrapping the audience in a comfortable blanket of nostalgia and the sweet yearning of our younger years. Maybe the band’s chosen moniker is more than just a sideways snicker or an ironic glance at outdated adolescent traditions. Rather, Makeout Party is about heartfelt interpretations of sentimental encounters…the wistfulness of relationships past and the promise of redemption. Lengths And Limits proves that you can be earnest without being saccharine, but at the same time if you serve up a full plate of bittersweet melodies, a little bit of sugar makes it all the more appetizing.
Makeout Party is Neil Aitkenhead (bass), Daniel Bogan (drums), Carmen Cirignano (vocals, guitar), Dustin Isbert (keys, guitar) and Joseph Ryan (guitar, vocals). Lengths And Limits was recorded and engineered by Jesse Goins at Pen 15 Production House with additional engineering by Steve Poponi (Up Up Down Down) at Gradwell House. Poponi is currently recording the band’s follow-up EP as well. Lengths And Limits was released in May of 2008 by Make Music Collective. Makeout Party’s debut EP, Something To Make You Stay, came out in 2006. For more info, go to www.myspace.com/makeoutparty
Press Contact: Chuck Daley / Beartrap PR / chuck@beartrappr.com / (704) 649-7128
