Pop-punk outfit Makeout almost wrote their own fairytale story when they hired a fan as their newest vocalist.
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Kyle Dee who replaced singer Sam Boxold and was previously featured on season 11 of American Idol, was also a big fan of Makeout. And after seeing them at a show in Chicago, Dee had every intention of trying to land a spot in the band as a bassist, but that role had already been filled, so he ended up fronting it instead. Makeout was impressed by Dee’s performance audition of their song “Childish”, one that none of the other 500 applicants went with, blowing everyone else out of the water with his successful attempt at the high vocal runs, landing him the gig as new vocalist just in time to put out a new single and EP.
“Joining Makeout was different than the usual ‘start a band in your garage with your close friends’ story, where you get to fine-tune all the details before anyone knows who you are,” Dee told American Songwriter. “In this scenario, the band had already signed to Rise Records, gained a large and dedicated fan base, and toured with Blink-182. On top of that, Sam was a phenomenal singer and I knew I had big shoes to fill. There was definitely some pressure but I was happy to challenge myself and to step out of my comfort zone.”
“Once I was officially in the band, it took a little bit of time to figure out my place,” Dee added. “I didn’t know how much or how little they wanted me to do, but Tyler and Scott quickly made me feel like an equal member and it became a very collaborative process.”
AJ Khah who also filled the open spot of bassist, came from previous band Sleep On It knew drummer Scott Eckel and lead guitarist Tyler Young from a previous Vans Warped Tour run together. And when Sleep On It disbanded, Khah was looking for new opportunities and Makeout was right up his alley. With a new lineup intact, Makeout was ready to write their first new single together, titled “Home”, also the title track from their forthcoming EP, spear-headed by producers and musicians Travis Barker and Matt Holmes.
“We co-wrote our first single “Home” together with the help of Jayden Seeley and Travis Barker, as well as Matt Holmes and Matt Malpass, and it was an awesome experience,” Dee said. “The song was completed in less than three hours and it just felt right. Everyone involved brought their own expertise to the table to make the song what it is.”
Being able to independently release the EP, Makeout is thrilled to have complete control over their creative process and with the guidance of such talented producers and co-writers, Makeout is able to make a near seamless comeback after previous lineup setbacks.
More details on Makeout’s EP Home will be announced soon and the title track is available to stream everywhere now.
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