Staff Reviews

Mates of State - You're Going to Make It

Review by Ruth Singleton

Jason and Kori’s voices haven’t aged a day»

Buy now from:

Much like London buses Mates of State take their time, but when they rock up they rock up en masse: nine years since they last played live in the UK and four years since their last album the gently revered and long-time married, Connecticut-based, exuberant, indie-synth-pop duo of Kori Gardner (vocals, organ, piano and occasional guitar) and Jason Hammel (vocals, drums, percussion and occasional synthesiser) have announced a flurry of European activity including the release of a brand new five-track EP called 'You're Going To Make It'. This new batch of tunes is Mates Of State in its purest form, fizzing with razor-sharp harmonies, shimmering new wave synth melodies and lyrics that speak to both personal and universal concerns. 'You're Going To Make It' then is nothing but choice cuts; five anthemic and emotionally rich songs which are the cream of the songwriting crop, tunes that wriggle into your every waking hour like the earworms they are. On 'Beautiful Kids' the band speaks of how a sense of loneliness pervades, even though we are connected to one another 24/7 thanks to modern technology. Or as Hammel puts it: "We all just want to be seen, but we won't look up from our screens so that we can be seen." 'Gonna Get It' and 'I Want To Run' build off the same inspiring notion of the EP's title, encouraging both themselves and their fans to keep striving no matter what the odds. And fist-pumping opener 'Staring Contest' speaks to that delicious ache of schoolyard crushes and youthful love.
description from www.roughtrade.com