Make Do and Mend – Part and Parcel EP

Since the release of their Paper + Plastick Records debut, End Measured Mile, Hardford CT’s Make Do And Mend has been climbing the ranks of the collective conscious of hardcore and punk fans everywhere.  The album showcased a marked maturation in the young group’s career, easily eclipsing the band’s earlier output.  Continuing their evolution, the grizzled quartet now ventures from their comfort zone for their first acoustic EP, Part & Parcel.  While I reacted favourably to End Measured Mile, I have since found myself utterly submersed in the seminal achievement and reimagining that is Part & Parcel.

For most bands, an acoustic EP serves as just another way to repackage some old material for their core fans.  That notion does not apply here.  Make Do And Mend has thrown out their core mechanics, and completely rebuilt themselves from the ground up.  Part & Parcel is a rare example of a full band acoustic EP that fully taps into their shifting medium.  Gone are the explosive, malevolent hardcore outbursts, replaced with some of the most thoughtful examples of deeply introspective songs you’ll find in any genre.

The album shares its opener with End Measured Mile, but the similarities stop there.  This time around “Unknowingly Strong” replaces its plea for strength with a crescendo of raw emotion.  James’s newly crisp baritone vocals edge along under the weight of each word, seemingly shackled to the haunting traumas of life-like memories.  “The grass is only greener here if you plant it that way” speaks James, bestowing a newfound wisdom to the notion of self-achievement.  These songs have been made so personal that their delivery sits akin to a private conversation behind close doors.  “Ghostal” in particular – with its very mature discussion about the effects of alcoholism on family – evokes a deep sense of empathy.  Lines like “last time I saw you, there was a stranger in the skin of someone I once knew, someone I once thought was stronger than you” resonate with a chilling dose of sobering truth.

The EP’s two original offerings, “Coats” and “Untitled,” close the journey on a rural, weathered folk note.  The former finds a home for every band member, stretching the limits of the purely acoustic project with the album’s quickest tempo and busiest arrangements.  The latter takes a simpler road, delving into personal revelations with little more than James’ guitar and thoughts.  Along the same lines, the band even commands complete ownership over their Touch Amour cover “Home Away From Home.”

Part & Parcel is so much more than just a band’s frontman unplugging his guitar, it’s Make Do And Mend re-envisioned.  This personal evolution begs comparison with Thrice’s four song EP project that saw the long running band swap out their post-hardcore upbringing in favour of a stripped down folk outing.  That the band can release something so personally redefining on the eve of their signing with heavyweight Rise Records bodes incredibly well for their transition into a bigger stage.  With Part & Parcel Make Do And Mend solidify themselves as a budding and established talent.  A seminal work that shortlists all future output onto my most wanted list.