Don't you just hate it when an album, or in this case an EP, is marred by one or two horrible tracks? Connecticut's Make Do and Mend almost created a flawless melodic post-hardcore short player if it weren't for the second and third tracks. The latter of these two tracks, entitled "Interlewd," is a keyboard/piano driven sap fest that tries to be heavy hearted but makes me want to find the "next" button on my stereo. The former, "Staring Problem," is such an embarrassing commercially acceptable pop-punk tune that would have even Good Charlotte and Lit hanging their heads in shame. Seriously, it may have been a cute idea at the time but these two stinkers should have been left for a b-sides album.
So we are going to pretend "Interlewd" and "Staring Problem" don't even exist on We're All Just Living and rejoice in having one great EP of self-coined "dark pop" tunes. Make Do and Mend remember the 90's as well as I do as they draw from influences as common as Samiam and more obscure bands like Ex Number Five. We're All Just Living is four tracks of guitar driven rock that have the poppy underbelly that could cause even the footless to tap their ghost toes in rhythm. Make Do and Mend employ two singers, one guy has a cold day vocals that are lacking but never a distraction. The other guy has a bit more of a rough bark to his vocals that remind of Alf from the before mentioned Ex Number Five and currently of The Fire Still Burns. I wish the gruffer guy would sing more and I hope he will in future releases.
For this being Make Do and Mend's first release it's a near perfect debut. I love music like this. Make Do and Mend is akin to finding a your new best friend that happens to like Farside, Gameface, and other 90's Revelation Records bands as much as you do. It's such a refreshing blast of rocking melodic post-hardcore that one can only hope that they are just one the first of new crop of bands that have more Face to Face records than Fall Out Boy downloads. Make Do and Mend is awesome. I seriously can't believe there is a band that sounds like this in 2007. Sure, maybe in 1999 you couldn't swing a dead emo kid without hitting someone that knew the words to "Start With" by Seaweed. However, in today's garbage heap of Set Your Goals clones, listening to Make Do and Mend is like finding a diamond in landfill of token mosh parts and whiny vocals. I can only wish that We're All Just Living is the harbinger of better things to come for melodic hardcore.
