Written By: Jennifer Burch
After hearing 18th & Addison for the first time, I couldn’t help but think…who is this and where have they been hiding? It turns out the talented musicians haven’t been hiding at all, but instead creating waves all the way from New Jersey. The band consists of Tom Kunzman on guitar/bass/vocals and Kait DiBenedetto on guitar/keys/vocals. 18th & Addison creates an alt-rock blend of indie/punk/folk with a bit of pop sprinkled in. After viewing a few of the group’s performances on Youtube and listening to the breakout EP Little Parasites; I was definitely looking forward to what Makeshift Monsters had in store.
Makeshift Monsters opens with an emotional song “Under The Water” and moves along to a more simple track, “Fix Me”. It’s evident that Tom and Kait have some really great acoustic chemistry, but I was surprised to hear only one song like this on the entire album.
The next track “Little Secrets” moves the record to a more buoyant place with its catchy guitar rhythm. Kait has an authentic rocker-style voice that reminds me of the great Joan Jett. Her vocals seem to open up as she sings “stuck between who I am and who I’m supposed to be”, lyrics that we all can probably relate to at times. “Hide and Seek” and “Postcards” offer the same type of vibe. The duo truly nails it with “Moving Mountains”, an uplifting track about needing support. I found myself randomly humming the chorus of this one for days.
“Knives” is notably heavier than the other songs, both in sound and sentiment. There’s a lot happening here with the singers almost battling out their verses and the crashing symbols. This is definitely an emotional album in which the songwriters clearly placed their energy. Sometimes finding the harmonizing sweet spot between two singers can be tough. For a brief moment I found myself thinking they could have ironed this out a little more on “Under The Water”, but after listening to it again I realized this is what gives the tune its character. Nothing is always perfect, nor should it be.
18th & Addison offers a distinctive sound that’s sure to please the masses. Fans can pre-order Makeshift Monsters before it’s released on July 15th.
