Children Of The Damned With Music
On the surface Make Me! convey a sugary sweet exterior as cute indie beats twinkle alongside softly sweet vocals. All straightforward you would think. Look a little closer though and there’s something menacing skulking amongst the four piece, something that is slightly unnerving and undeniably sinister that’s both appealing but ultimately scary as their debut album, ‘It Only Hurts The First Time’ starts to make you wonder if behind their cheery exterior their actually clasping a knife ready to plunge into you unexpectantly. Then again with an album title like that you can’t say they didn’t warn you.
Exposing off kilter pop sensibilities saturated in classic lo fi imperfection, ‘It Only Hurts The First Time’ screams timeless, even retro, indie as lead singer Claire Haynie’s nonchalant chirpy vocals provocatively dance around bristling guitars and jerky beats. Playing homage to their hometown of Oakland, San Francisco, the quartet kick off their debut album with the aptly titled ‘Oakland/ San Francisco’, breezing by with keyboard enriched melodies harnessed to Haynie’s almost can’t be bothered vocals delivered bizarrely and captivatingly with a happy glee. And here lies the unnerving element of the band that is so intriguingly engaging. Like the indie version of The Children Of The Damned, Make Me! come across as being innocently sweet with even a touch of happiness residing within their uplifting beats but with Haynie you get an unpredictable element, a feeling that she would welcome you with one hand and punch you with the other as Zola Goodrich’s bass adds yet another menacing touch to the mix. With the brilliantly titled ‘Tattoo’d • On Eyeliner’ Make Me! Really start to unleash the old school mix of Grrrl rock with a song that is begging to be let loose in a dark indie club to run riot before ‘Make Me’ sweeps in, initially sounding strangely like ‘My favourite Things’ from the Sound Of Music until jerky speaking vocals puncture fairground-esque keyboards in all their helter skelter glory. A mixed bag most definitely with such tracks as ‘One More Hour’ and ‘I Knew You Were Coming’ seeming to drag directionless but then ‘Discreet Charm’ waltzes in oozing brooding charm to reel you in once more.
Sinisterly sweet, ‘It Only Hurts The First Time’ offers cliché indie gems laced with Grrl rock oomph which at times is appealing but also runs the risk of being too bizarre as eccentricity starts to rear its head too often. Unexpectantly disturbing and weirdly engaging Make Me! will have you dancing recklessly with a watchful eye constantly looking over your shoulder.