Make Out Monday – Back to the Feeling (2025)
Hailing from Los Angeles, Make Out Monday has long carved a distinctive niche in alternative music, blending the urgency of pop-punk with the shimmer of 80s-inspired alt-pop. With over 20 million lifetime streams and a global fanbase built through Comic Con appearances and tours across the U.S., Europe, Australia, and the Philippines, the band has proven its appeal transcends geography. Fronted by Zack Shada, an accomplished actor and voice artist known for roles in Lost, Adventure Time, and Grey’s Anatomy, alongside drummer Seth Renken, guitarist Ezra Behrens, and collaborator Nathan Bramsway on bass, the quartet continues to expand their sonic palette while staying rooted in their signature energy.
Their new single, ‘Back to the Feeling’, is a sparkling testament to this evolution. The track began as a simple acoustic riff from Renken, but quickly blossomed into a full-bodied anthem, powered by Shada’s soaring vocal melodies and reflective, nostalgic lyricism. Produced and mixed by Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount, and mastered by Ted Jensen, the track manages the rare feat of paying homage to 80s icons like Tears For Fears, The Cars, Genesis, and Don Henley while maintaining the raw immediacy that defines Make Out Monday’s sound. The guitars shimmer, the synths twinkle, and the rhythm section pulses with a forward-driving momentum that balances longing with exuberance.
The song treads the fine line between melancholy and hope. “It’s about trying to return to a time, place, or feeling you can’t get back to. We wanted it to sound hopeful even in its melancholy, like rewinding the tape of your life,” says Zack Shada. That duality is embedded in every layer of the track: the wistful reflection of the lyrics is buoyed by instrumentation designed to lift the spirit, producing a euphoric sense of nostalgia that is as heartfelt as it is infectious. Harmonies and subtle instrumental flourishes enrich the track, creating depth and texture that reward repeated listens.
‘Back to the Feeling’ demonstrates Make Out Monday’s ability to marry sentiment with energy. It’s at once reflective and forward-looking, an anthem that celebrates memory without succumbing to nostalgia alone. In doing so, it captures a universal truth: the past cannot be relived, but its essence can be carried forward, transformed, and celebrated.
With this release, Make Out Monday has crafted a track that is timeless in its heart, urgent in its delivery, and undeniably theirs. It’s a shimmering, emotive reminder of why the band continues to resonate with audiences worldwide; inviting listeners to move, reflect, and embrace the feeling, again and again.
Find out more about Make Out Monday on their Instagram, X, TikTok, and Spotify.
