The Macks - The Macks Are A Knife
Flyctory.com Pros
- Well-done undeground rock album
- Nice songs in the second half
- Good instrumental setup
Flyctory.com Cons
- First half of the album feels a bit weaker
The Macks are sharing their fifth studio album on 17th May 2024. The US-American rock band add The Macks Are A Knife on that day with their fans. Let’s see if the songs are rather a sharp cut or rather blunt. Here is my review.
The Macks – About The Artists
The Macks are an US-American underground rock band from Portland in Oregeon. Two members of the quintet, Josef Windheim (drums) and Ben Windheim (guitar) are brothers. Sam Fulwiler is the singer of the band. Additionally, there are Aidan Harrison (bass) and Jacob Michael Perris (keys). Their debut album Camp Poppa has been released in 2017. Since then, there have been three additional album releases. The most recent one, Dajban, is dated as of December 2022.
The Macks – The Macks Are A Knife – Track by Track
The ten song album lasts 40 minutes.
1. I Just Surfaced
The Macks Are A Knife kicks off with rock’n’roll vibes. The opener I Just Surfaced also comes with some punk and alternative rock attitude. The sound is rather straight forward, sometimes even having the naive touch of a (really good) high school band. The song works as an appetizer nicely – let’s see where the musical trip is taking us in the next songs.
2. Nice
Nice is one of three already released songs on the album. It starts with rough, dark guitar riffs and some angry beats. This theme is staying on, even when the vocals are incepting. It takes quite a while until there are more coherent elements in the song. This confuses me while listening.
3. Family Ties
The following song, Family Ties, is another feature single. Even though some parts have a psychedelic touch, the song feels more fluent. It still has a nice energy and the bass lines tend to remind of surf rock songs.
4. There’s No Baby In That Stroller
The fourth song feels slower and more sterling. The song is impressing with nice guitar work, even though they feel a bit too present. It is very hard to follow the vocals, which are rather in the background. If you like guitar rock with an underground and alternative touch, this song will make you smile, though.
5. Steamroller
Steamroller is more straight and fluent, compared to the two songs before. Again, The Macks work with a lot of looping elements, which can lead to a lengthy touch in some parts. But I guess that’s exactly what ans like – and of course it does have some advantages during live shows as well.
6. They Don’t Pay
They Don’t Pay has been released as a single on 26th April 2024. The high vocal singing at the beginning of the track feels scary. However, the song develops to a fast rock firework. Especially the chorus stays in your mind – even though the sound cannot deny some intrinsic madness.
7. Comfort Flow
With Comfort Flow, The Macks surprise with some Americana vibes. There are Western and blues elements in the song. Nonetheless, the song seems to be a good fit to the general style of the album. And the blues touch adds a nice groove as well.
8. Cowboys & Cattlebroads
The title of the eighth song already suggests that the Americana flavor might continue in this song. However, Comfort Flow is much more in line with this genre than Cowboys & Cattlebroads. Nonetheless, the song is a cool one, coming with a nice flow and a catching atmosphere. The bridge is also experimenting with synth elements, which works out well.
9. Can Man
The ninth track of The Macks Are A Knife is named Can Man. The song is a bit slower, but has the alternative blues rock touch again. This leads to a nice listen and a great groove. Sam Fulwiler’s voice seems to be the perfect fit for that track. Really nice one.
10. Ranchero
In the context of the album, the slow and gentle Ranchero feels very kitschy. However, the song has a nice, flourish melody. Nonetheless, the Americana-pop sound at the end of the album feels surprising.
The Macks – The Macks Are A Knife – Spotify
Here is the album on Spotify:
The Macks – The Macks Are A Knife – My View
The album has some repetitive moments. Fans will praise the album, I especially enjoy the last songs, which illustrate some very interesting sounds and melodies. Overall, the album is entertaining and good fun, especially driven by a very nice instrumental performance.
Favorite Song: Comfort Flow
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