Tampa Favorite, MAK, release new single “Sideways”
If you’re a college student in Tampa, you’ve probably heard of MAK.
If you’re not in Tampa and love vintage-sounding indie music, you should check them out. The band began back in 2020, and in the five years since, they’ve made an undeniable presence in the Tampa indie music scene. The indie-rock group performs frequently at the Crowbar in Ybor City, local music festivals, and even most recently at Ringling College.
MAK’s description of their sound is "hydrophonic". You may be asking yourself, what does that even mean? It is usually used for growing plants in water. However, for MAK, it describes a kind of wet and carefree sound in their discography. This is produced through effects added to their guitars. If you ask me, this vintage, “hydrophonic” sound makes their discography sound like a summer day in Florida.
Their newest single, "Sideways” comes out on April 18th, and they gave us early access to it for this review.
“Sideways” introduces listeners to itself with an almost western feeling intro before lead singer, Ian Makrianes, starts with the opening line: “It’s a matter of time I felt / A little selfish, oh well”.
The lyrics of this single reflect feelings of listlessness or being in a rut yet all the while looking for an escape. These lyrics make for an almost immediate relatability to the song. With these moodier lyrics, it would be easy for the song to get bogged down in even moodier or downtrodden instrumentals, yet it doesn’t. We have a bassist, Aidan Makrianes, to thank for that.
“I’m feeling low now /
And I need to cope somehow /
Why do I feel like I keep drifting /
Shooting straight shots but keep on missing /
I’m trynna slow down /
But I still just don’t know how /
Plugged my ears but sound keeps slipping /
Why does it feel like no one’s listening ”
As “Sideways” moves into the bridge, the instrumentals slow down just a touch and allow for two punchy lines: “Nobody’s listening / Am I still listening?”.
This song features some of Ian’s strongest vocals in the band’s discography, with his signature dreamy tone coming through on both the deeper, calmer verses and the energetic chorus.
Overall, this song fits in perfectly with their boyish, upbeat sound and can fit with almost any summer playlist. I am especially excited for its release because the earworm chorus has been living rent-free in my head and I need other people to hear it.
So if you like what you hear, pull up to an indie venue in Florida with a big white van and catch a MAK show. If you’re not in Florida, however, you can stream their music some of my personal favorites are: “Start and End”, “Light Pollution”, and “Idle Hands”.
