Long Island’s Macseal have just released Permanent Repeat, their second album and first in five years, via Counter Intuitive. The band has roots in emo, but this new album embraces their ’90s/early 2000s-style power pop side more than ever before and it suits them very, very well. You can read my review in Notable Releases, and for a deeper look into what Macseal were pulling from on this album, they’ve made us a list of 10 things that influenced, including Goo Goo Dolls, The Sidekicks, Alvvays, and more. Read on to see the band’s full list and what they had to say about each one.
Macseal play a record release show at LI’s Amityville Music Hall TONIGHT (7/12) with Carly Cosgrove and MooseCreek Park (good bill!), and they also play an acoustic release show with fellow Long Islanders Oso Oso in Boston on July 19 (another good bill!).
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10 THINGS THAT INFLUENCED MACSEAL’S PERMANENT REPEAT
“Over My Head (Cable Car)” – The Fray
This is a song I feel like had a renaissance for us as a band. I know Frankie has consistently been a fan, but when I came back to this song, I really listened to the bass part for the first time and realized how amazing it was. I referenced it a lot when trying to fill out my part for our song “Permanent Repeat” because I really wanted to try and include something that moved and was as melodic as the bass in the bridge of “Over My Head.” I think you can hear its influence during the little bass fills in the pre-choruses and outro. [Justin Canavaciol]
Alvvays
Alvvays has always been a source of inspiration for me. There isn’t a single song by them that doesn’t make me want to pick up a guitar. The way they layer their guitars underneath everything is something we tried to recreate on Permanent Repeat, but it’s truly a special secret how they make it sound so soothing and full. Their singer, Molly Rankin, has some of the most infectious melodies. My first dance with my wife at our wedding was an Alvvays song. [Ryan Bartlett]
“A Short Dance” by The Sidekicks
When we first started recording the title track, “Permanent Repeat,” our producer Billy Mannino commented on how catchy the chorus was and how he wished it would happen more than once. I remember thinking it would be really cool to arrange a stripped down version of the chorus with slightly different/foreshadow-y lyrics, in a similar way to “A Short Dance” on Happiness Hours. This interlude turned out to be “October” on our new record. [Frankie Impastato]
You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes
I listen to a lot of comedy podcasts when I can’t stand the thought of putting on music. There’s an episode of Pete Holmes’ podcast with Gary Gulman (two of my faves) where they’re talking about depression and mental health, and one of them says something like, “If you’re not happy on the plane, then you won’t magically be happy on the beach.” That phrase and its cadence stuck with me and became the catalyst for the chorus of “Beach Vacation,” a song mostly about depression but also kind of about being abducted by aliens. [Cole Szilagyi]
bittersweet early 2000s nostalgia Spotify playlist
When we started honing in on more early 2000s inspirations, this playlist quickly became one of our most played. A lot of the songs perfectly capture the early pop-rock vibes we were going for on the record. There’s a lot of Rob Thomas, Jimmy Eat World, and radio hits from when we were growing up. [Macseal]
Slow Pulp
On the drive into Queens to record Permanent Repeat, I listened to a lot of Slow Pulp. They have some of the coolest production on their records and I definitely was inspired by them. The first time I heard them was their cover of “In Too Deep” by Sum 41, and it was one of the coolest and most original covers I’ve heard in awhile. I’ve loved them ever since; They’ve been on my bucket list to see live forever now. [Ryan Bartlett]
“The News” by Paramore
Since I started playing drums, Paramore has always been my biggest source of inspiration. We were lucky enough to be working on our record at the same time This Is Why was released and it immediately got me in the right mindset… more cowbell!! “The News” has a really sick cowbell feature in the second verse, and after hearing it I knew I had to find a place on the record for our own sick cowbell moment. [Frankie Impastato]
Goo Goo Dolls
My mom was a huge Goo Goo Dolls fan, so I’ve been listening to them since a young age. Besides writing bangers, they were the first band I consciously noticed doing the whole droning-open-strings thing on guitar, which has influenced my playing more than I realized. There’s definitely some Goo Goo Dolls DNA in my parts on “Hide Out” and “Easily Undone.” We also added mandolin to the intro of “A+B,” which was a little nod to “Iris,” and a fun way to lean into the acoustic vibe before turning the whole thing on its head. [Cole Szilagyi]
“Texting & Driving” by Guppy
Guppy rocks and they’re FUN. I was listening to their record a lot when we were recording, and they were a constant reminder that music is fun and making music is fun and we should be having fun doing it. This attitude directly resulted in me pleading with my bandmates to find a spot on the record for some bongos. Luckily I won out and you can hear them in the bridge of “Hide Out” — the funnest part of the song. [Frankie Impastato]
Golden Harbor Authentic Chinese Cuisine
We’re an extremely food-motivated band. On our first tour in 2017, our friend/resident Champaign, IL tour guide Christine took us to a local Chinese place called Golden Harbor. We were over the moon and still make our way back there every chance we get. A great meal or a fun post-show hang can take a bad show day and turn it around completely, and longing for those simple pleasures during a very reclusive time is what inspired “Golden Harbor.” [Macseal]