By: Cullen Ronan Follow @cullenronan

Aiming to burst onto the scene with the release of the bands’ debut record “Hyperreal” on August 3, Orlando, Florida’s Makari is only just beginning to make a splash in the crowded post-hardcore music scene.

Working alongside the ever-lauded producer Andrew Wade for the bands’ inaugural dive into a full-length, it seems to be only a matter of time before Makari’s twinkly guitar work, dense lyricism and addictive hooks will become a household name.

After signing to InVogue Records in 2016, Makari has only been gaining steam as a band, despite the challenges of losing a frontman…twice.

When former Decoder (Lead Hands) vocalist and the very well-traveled Spencer Pearson took over the helm from original singer Brandon Cullen in early 2016, the group began its ascent into their own atmosphere of post-hardcore and ambient rock.

Following the release and subsequent praise of the 2016 EP “Elegies,” the group’s momentum had only just started before crashing to a screeching halt when Pearson walked away from the project.

For the second time in the bands’ short history, Makari had been left without a vocalist.

However, one lucky tour lineup, a friendship, and a few months later, the band has found its frontman of the future in Andy Cizek.

Having already been juggling his other project in We Are Triumphant Records Wvnder, as well as a very successful YouTube channel, Cizek found himself opening for and forming a bond with the members of Makari in early 2016.

“The tour went super well, we all had a great time. We got to know each other and I was super impressed with Makari, and I guess they were diggin’ my sound too,” Cizek said.

It seemed to be fate that with the departure of Pearson about a year later, Cizek would be the only logical replacement for the band.

After receiving a call from guitarist Eric Stewart to try out for the position, the band flew him out to Florida to record “Control,” which would eventually become the first single off the forthcoming album.

Following the tryout, there was little hesitation to admit Cizek was the perfect fit for the group.

(Guitarist Eric Stewart)

(Vocalist Andy Cizek)

By November 2017, the band was ready to show the world what it could do with Cizek behind the mic, and released “Control” as the introduction to the newest era of Makari.

A wise man once said “numbers don’t lie,” and by this logic, it’s clear the band made the best possible decision.

Shedding the usual downward trend a band will tend to face after swapping frontmen, Makari instead has only grown, as the video for “Control” has eclipsed 100,000 views, virtually doubling the amount of traction from its formerly most popular single, 2016’s “Melt.”

With the success of the lead single, the group kept the momentum rolling by releasing the second teaser track, “Transient” off the debut LP in April.

Breaking the mold of past Makari material, “Transient” is a fresh, bright and lyrically driven reminder that this genre can certainly feature a flair for the flowery, yet still stay true to its roots.

“‘Transient’ is definitely a little bit of an outlier for the record, I’m not sure about the rest of the guys, but when I listen to it, it has more of an alternative side, you know? It’s not as niche sounding as our previous releases, but it still holds true to what we do” Stewart said.

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(The new era of Makari has been highly praised on Reddit)

Riding off the coattails of the two released singles, the band has set its sights on its jam-packed future.

Playing an August 3, Warped Tour date to a hometown Orlando crowd, the stars couldn’t have been more aligned as Makari looks to see familiar faces in the crowd for the unofficial “album release” show.

Despite playing a Warped Tour date after winning a local battle of the bands during the groups’ early years, this one holds extra importance to them; both because it’s the first time the members will be playing it as an established band and because this is the final year of the much celebrated and historic cross-country tour.

“I’ve never played a Warped Tour date personally, so this is super cool for me. I guess it gives me a little bit of closure in my life knowing I was at least part of it,” Cizek said. “We grew up going to Warped, and that coinciding with our CD release is a good thing.”

Coinciding with the release of “Hyperreal” on August 3, you will be able to catch Makari on a cross-country tour with Wolf & Bear of Blue Swan Records.

“Hyperreal” comes out August 3 on InVogue Records.