The Skies Revolt

Making Moves [7-inch] (2012)

JulioAnta

Earlier this year, power pop veterans Motion City Soundtrack announced a series of curated 7-inch single releases in collaboration with Drexel University's MAD Dragon Records and their own record label, the Boombox Generation. Handpicking lesser known and mostly unsigned groups from across the country, the band released the mini-EPs throughout the year and called it Making Moves. Of these artists, Grand Rapids, Michigan's the Skies Revolt proved to be the most interesting of the lot.

Combining elements of early ‘90s grunge, pop and alternative rock, the Skies Revolt produce solid, radio-friendly jams that more than anything show potential, but on this release, lack direction. Written just after the band had finished recording their full-length LP Some Kind Of Cosmonaut, Making Moves gives the sense that the band was fresh out of ideas and built songs around the one or two decent moments they were able to materialize. "For Your Health" is a prime example of this as it meanders through a couple of generic, guitar heavy verses before finally hitting it's stride near the end of the track, on the song's explosive bridge–the record's stand-out moment.

Although the band has shown excellence in the past, Making Moves just isn't one of those moments.