Artist: Make Do and Mend
Album: Everything You Ever Loved
Genre: Punk
Label: Rise Records

I was at home with my older brother this past weekend, and one of the things we bond over is showing each other music in the car. I’m rarely tolerant of his music (sorry man, I know i’m a little stubborn but I still can’t get into a lot of modern rap or that weird Sublime style reggae), however he always listens to what I have to play, and that is something that has always meant a lot to me. He said something to me while we were driving around to the new Mixtapes record that hit me right at home, and you’ll get why I say this in a minute. He said, “Tyler, let’s be honest here. You’re really just a sucker for relatable music. Not relatable to everyone, just you. It doesn’t even matter what the actual music sounds like.” I sat there for a second and without even hesitating I agreed. It was that night when I got the new Make Do and Mend album to review, and I listened to it with a heightened sensitivity to this discussion.

Everything You Ever Loved isn’t one of those albums that you can just enjoy on the surface. It is a record that you fall in love with because everything about it encompasses who you are in that moment in time when you listen to it.  We all have those albums that remind us of a time period in our lives. One of those for me is Transit’s Keep This To Yourself. That album will always remind me of my freshman year of college. Make Do and Mend’s Everything You Ever Loved I know after only listening to it for a few days now will always remind me of this summer. The album is about doing what you love, but at the same time coping with a certain level of loneliness and lack of fulfillment that can sometimes accompany following your passions. I cannot stress enough how relevant this is to my life, so this record is going to mean a whole lot to me as the days go by. It’s going to get me through long nights and late dinners by myself in empty apartments. However that last sentence, like the album, isn’t some pity party. It has to do with an emptiness that is tolerable because you know sooner or later the hole in your life is going to be filled again. You can hear the hope in the lyrics and voice of James Carroll, and I think if it weren’t for the hope that is sprinkled across this album, listening to this record would be very hard. Everything is honest and to the point, and it’s that sincerity that only amplifies the emotion that is conveyed on this record. Like I mentioned earlier, these emotions are not directly relatable to everyone.  Some people aren’t there yet or never will be because they are more complacent with a shallower life. However once you know what it feels like to chase something, this record becomes exponentially more beautiful.

Musically, the more melodic sound of the instrumentation perfectly mirrors the lyrical feelings expressed throughout the album. With the lighter sounds of the record we really get to feel exactly as the lyrics are painting in our heads. For the songs that have more about the anxiety and angst of our lives, we get a harder sound. For songs about love we get a quieter sound that is reminiscent of Jimmy Eat World and Explosions in the Sky guitar work. This album really creates a musical space rather than just being a songs. For anyone who has listened to bands like Explosions in Sky or braveyoung, these post-rock groups do a great job of creating an atmosphere that we can live in and learn about ourselves in rather than telling you only how they specifically feel. Make Do and Mend creates this same exact atmosphere in Everything You Ever Loved, and that’s something you rarely see bands being able to pull of today, especially in a band that is known for their aggressive tone. I’m honestly blown away by the way Make Do and Mend crafted and put together this record. This has to do with what I imagine is meticulous writing by the band, but also the careful construction of producer Matt Bayles.  When things are soft, they are really soft, but then out of nowhere things erupt into classic Make Do and Mend (see song “Hide Away”). These dynamic changes provide the listener with a compilation of songs that never feel like they are derivative of each other.

Make Do and Mend created something here that I don’t think they will fully understand until they go on their first full US album support tour. Some people may say the old adage “This doesn’t sound like them at all, bunch of sell outs.” Seriously, shut the hell up. Your jaded attitude is not wanted here. This album is going to hit a lot of people like the first time they heard Jimmy Eat World’s Bleed American, Saves the Day’s Stay What You Are and other legendary albums. This is one that sticks with you, but isn’t fully appreciated until you realize it has never actually become old and worn out. This is a spit in the face to the music industry that rewards bands for pushing themselves but still treading inside the line. Make Do and Mend gambled and took who they were, burned that to the ground and built something fresh out of the ashes that is more beautiful than they ever possibly could have sounded even just a year ago. If that isn’t punk, I don’t know what is.

SCORE: 9.75/10

Listen to: “Desert Lily,” “Hide Away,” “St. Anne,” “Count”

Written By Tyler Osborne (Follow him on Twitter to see him trash talk yuppies who live in DC this Summer).

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Tyler Osborne

Live in DC, grew up in PA. I specialize in writing, filming and taking pictures about punk, pop-punk, and hardcore music, and I also have a huge background in film as well. When not on the site, i'm running my own internet radio show, ToZ's Edge Radio (www.facebook.com/tozedgeradio). I also love stage diving and goldfish.

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