Trapdoors

Made of Boxes has interwoven a resonant quality into their music that is simultaneously familiar and unnameable, cosmic in scale and intimate in delivery. The powerful drumlines and expansive, organic melodies are evocative of such artists as Arcade Fire, Fleet Foxes, and Sigur Ros. The Seattle-based alt-rock quartet is all about smashing barriers—emotional barriers, metaphorical barriers, and the barriers of rejection and self-criticism that separate our innermost selves from the world around us. We all feel lonely. We all feel lost. Take in a breath and open your ears. Made of Boxes sees you, fellow traveler. Why don't you stop and listen for a moment.

The band found its inception when a mutual acquaintance (Mike Notter of Motopony) introduced Dave Chapaitis to David Testa in December of 2013. Testa and Chapaitis immediately recognized a spark of musical chemistry between them; from there, it was only a matter of fanning the flames. They discovered John Hage soon thereafter (quite by accident), and Luke Brown, a longtime friend of Chapaitis, completed the puzzle. Once assembled, the quartet produced a totally unexpected sound—something that was more than the sum of its parts, as if some lonely aspect of the universe had chosen these four very different men as its medium for musical expression. As Brown puts it: "[The band] already has a mind of its own...every song we write is not something any one of us could have dreamed up on our own. It is its own beast."

It didn't take long for Made of Boxes to self produce their first EP ("Alotau"), which quickly garnered the band a devoted local following. In Alotau, one can hear their various influences: Radiohead, alt-J, Grizzly Bear, and an ever-expanding sense of imminent mortality. A siren cry of existential dread. Their genre has been described as "harmonic alternative", but that label can't help but fall short in defining the syncopated rhythm, complex melodies, and stirring lyrics that make up Made of Boxes' signature sound.

Their first full-length album, self-titled, is due for release on July 8th of 2016. Instead of falling into a rut—as so often happens with bands who experience such out-of-the-box success—Brown, Chapaitis, Hage, and Testa have chosen to experiment with their musical repertoire, challenging both themselves and their audience. The result is both haunting and exquisitely addictive; with this debut release (recorded to tape at Jupiter Studios in Wallingford with Jonas G., mixed by Don Gunn, and mastered by Ed Brooks at RFI Mastering), Made of Boxes fully comes into its own.

More than anything, Made of Boxes seeks solidarity with fellow humans who feel rejected, lonely, and lost. Their music serves as an anthem for those of us who feel adrift in a sea of confusion and self doubt. Do yourself a favor and listen to the new album. It just might give you something to hold on to.