<\/p>\n
For more details:<\/p>\n
How does a band keep evolving and moving forward after 15 years? First up, embrace the modern age and the way that people are consuming music these days. \u201cI don\u2019t like it, but the long play album format is probably dead,\u201d says\u00a0Mates\u00a0of\u00a0State\u00a0singer\/drummer Jason Hammel. \u201cNow we just want the hits. Don\u2019t bother me with filler; get me your best songs straightaway.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rather than lamenting this shift in listening preferences, Hammel and his bandmate Kori Gardner are taking a very KISS-like approach with their new music: you wanted the best, you got the best.<\/p>\n
The pair\u2019s new self-produced EP You\u2019re Going To Make It, then, is nothing but choice cuts; five anthemic and emotionally-rich songs that will quickly take up residence in your mental jukebox; five anthemic songs that wriggle into your every waking hour like the earworms they are.<\/p>\n
This new batch\u00a0of\u00a0tunes is\u00a0Mates\u00a0of\u00a0State\u00a0in its purest form. The razor sharp harmonies, shimmering new wave synth melodies, an internal warmth that can only come from a couple that has been musically and romantically involved for nearly two decades, and lyrics that speak to both personal and universal concerns.<\/p>\n
On \u201cBeautiful Kids,\u201d the band speaks to how, even though we are connected to one another 24\/7 thanks to modern technology, a sense\u00a0of\u00a0loneliness still pervades. Or as Hammel puts it: \u201cWe all just want to be seen, but we won\u2019t look up from our screens so that we can be seen.\u201d \u201cGonna Get It\u201d and \u201cI Want To Run\u201d build off the same inspiring notion\u00a0of\u00a0the EP\u2019s title, encouraging both themselves and their fans to keep striving no matter what the odds. And fist-pumping opener \u201cStaring Contest\u201d connects us to that delicious ache\u00a0of\u00a0schoolyard crushes and youthful love.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not just the manner in which\u00a0Mates\u00a0of\u00a0State\u00a0is planning to release music from here on out that is evolving, but also how the band will be presenting them on their upcoming tours\u00a0of\u00a0U.S. and Europe. \u201cWe\u2019re focusing more on performance as a whole and not being stuck behind our instruments,\u201d says Hammel. \u201cWe\u2019re coming to the front\u00a0of\u00a0the stage for some songs. Kori plays drums, Jason does some keys. Mixing up the performances in new and exciting ways.\u201d<\/p>\n
The band is also exploring some new creative avenues this year with the release\u00a0of\u00a0The Rumperbutts, a feature film that Hammel and Gardner acted in and composed the score for. Written and directed by Marc Brener, the film will hit theaters on\u00a0May 22nd.<\/p>\n
After a decade and an half\u00a0of\u00a0acclaimed albums and live performances, and songs that have become near pop standards for a generation\u00a0of\u00a0music fans, it\u2019s good to know that\u00a0Mates\u00a0of\u00a0State isn\u2019t content with coasting. Hammel and Gardner are working as hard as ever and looking excitedly toward what the future has to offer.<\/p>\n
You\u2019re Going To Make It<\/em>\u00a0comes out\u00a0June 16th\u00a0on Barsuk Records!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For more details:<\/p>\n
![\"DSC_1463-copy\"](\"https:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSC_1463-copy-300x298.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"