Max Fite - Shake It On Down EP (Self-Released)

Max Fite are a Los Angeles indie rock group who have just debuted with their first EP, Shake It On Down. The songs are subtly influenced by the melodicism of Britpop—both from Oasis and, more obviously, the generations that followed them—but make no mistake about it, there is something characteristically American about the EP, from the inclusion of slide guitars to the very feeling of this record being baked in the Californian sun. The songs carry a classic hard rock swagger, but not once does it fall into jock rock territory; the band instead choosing something of a calculated celebration of the very genre they emulate.

The six songs range in style from southern rock (“Court Jester”) to Americana (“Time To Heal”) and all the way to echoes of British sensibilities (“Devil In Me”), while simultaneously retaining an essential core key to their sound. For the most part, whether directly or contextually symbolic, each song deal with the idea of forging ahead in the face of loss and adversity. Consequently, Shake It On Down rises above the majority of hard rock that deals solely with partying by deftly acknowledging the shadows of life it’s running from.