Makeshift – “Remember the Feeling” EP
If self-isolation has you tearing your hair out and yearning to remember what it’s like to throw down with your friends at an Amityville Music Hall show, then fear not friends because I have just the record for you. Aptly named, “Remember The Feeling” is an EP released by Long Island based band Makeshift and is a “small collection of four very different songs. They cover a pretty big range of topics or feelings but generally center around a common theme of looking to the past and learning from it to improve the future.” Personally, putting my “normal” life at a stand-still in this self-isolation has had me clinging to some sort of normalcy but is also giving me the chance to really reflect and change the way I approach life in general. Similarly, “Remember The Feeling” is a hard hitting indie-punk release that dives into topics like life’s ambiguities and trying to find purpose in a crazy, confusing world.
The EP starts off with “Then and Now” with some high-energy drums and is a sure favorite for longtime Makeshift fans. “This track is the most reminiscent of the music we’ve put out in the past, which is no coincidence since it’s one of the first songs we wrote for the record.” Makeshift wrote to me about the song, “It’s a catchy, mid-paced pop rock song about fear of failure, disappointment, and uncertainty; things that we all have to face at some point in our lives.” It’s this insanely catchy chorus – “Oh, I just don’t know/I just don’t know/ If oh, am I a fool/Is this still worth it” – that made this EP an instant hit for me (yes, this is the first song off of the release but sometimes when you know, you know).
Following suit is “Undressed”, one of their more pop-influenced tracks and pairs well in this EP like a crisp breeze rolling through a Sunday morning. The genial instrumentals are expertly layered with melancholy subject matter; the never-ending chase for happiness and purpose is something we all have undeniably felt and this track is the perfect anthem to describe that. The chorus is so striking yet heavy-hearted and fits well given the situation we’re in – “I’m trying my best to be/On my way to anything/But not going nowhere’s hard to see when/It’s starting to feel impossible to breathe”. It’s something that I feel perfectly describes how a lot of us have been feeling lately: we’re all just trying to figure out with a world that feels like it is on fire.
“What’s Left Of Me” is next on the EP and is Makeshift’s favorite track on “Remember The Feeling”. “It’s a song about having to constantly play catch-up with life as it whizzes past, not knowing what’s coming next and looking back to a time when things weren’t so very complicated.” The band released the music video for this song on Stitched Sound earlier in March and it perfectly encapsulates the tone and mood of the track: the band plays in an open space with rapidly changing visuals of nature and childhood memories project onto them as vocalists Andrew and Dan plead for things to stop going so fast and changing so much. I love the subtle indie tones to this track, coupled with Makeshift’s expertly crafted lyrics that hit your heart in just the right way.
“I Needed You To Go” closes off the EP with themes of “guilt, loss, and everything that comes with cutting someone completely out of your life in the interest of self-betterment”. As we’ve heard in the rest of the EP, the track features upbeat rhythms and melodies but maintains their emotional subject matter and is something I’ve absolutely loved experiencing throughout the record. There’s a certain self-reflection and understanding that having to break something off in order to make things better that I absolutely love and is something we all need to hear sometimes.
“Remember The Feeling” is the EP you need incorporated into your self-isolation playlist: a concoction of catchy lyrics that delve on topics from nostalgia to hopelessness to perseverance that expertly intertwine with a blend of indie and punk instrumentals. “Remember The Feeling” is a banger release that I find myself listening to over and over again. If you haven’t already be sure to check out this release and others on all music platforms!