Listening to Baltimore’s Making Friends as Adults (MFAA), I was taken back to college, when I first started to discover the pop-punk, emo and post-hardcore bands of the day. There was something raw, organic and real about the music coming from those artists – the songs were melodic yet unpolished. They had hooks, but not the kind that necessarily worked for radio. MFAA capture the sound of these 90’s/00’s bands perfectly. Especially on single “New Road.”
Guitarist Graham Twibell’s math rock guitars and Kenneth Noble and Matt Severson’s post-hardcore breakdowns reveal a group that was clearly inspired by these bands, and write in their spirit. Vocalist Leigh McNally lets the emotion come through without over-singing, connecting with natural delivery.
“New Road” has complexity in its structure and arrangement, finding power without screaming or getting too loud. Enjoy this new band’s “New Road” in our Bangers of the Week Playlist.
The Indy Review 