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So it's understandable how much expectations have grown for a follow-up after having made a name for themselves, and the title of the new EP couldn't be more fitting. Carried Names sees the band honing its skills and perfecting the sound for which it has come to be known, from the caroming rhythms to the swelling guitars. Singer/guitarist Carmen Cirignano describes it as "more of an addendum to the last record than a preview of the next one." If Lengths and Limits felt organic, he likes to think of Carried Names as more genuine. Because, unlike the former studio-borne album, this new EP was conceived over the course of their months-long tours, road-tested before being laid out as a finished work in the studio.

While it’s hardly a victory lap as far as the band sees it, they do know how to celebrate their strengths. After all, when you’ve got a name to carry, you’ve got to hold it high.

Makeout Party is Pat Degan (drums), Carmen Cirignano (vocals, guitar), Dustin Isbert (keys, guitar), Joseph Ryan (guitar, vocals), and Tom Ryan (bass). Carried Names was recorded and engineered by Steve Poponi at The Gradwell House, and independently released in May of 2009. Lengths and Limits was released in May of 2008 by Make Music Collective. Makeout Party’s debut EP, Something to Make You Stay, came out in 2006.

"This whole album has a very complex yet organic vibe, at times sounding like The Get Up Kids trying to math rock out and at other times sounding like a younger hipper version of Built To Spill." - Jon Robertson (SLUG Magazine)

"Coldplay meets Get Up Kids sound of "Cut Two Years," and the Braid-influenced "We Are Sinking," with its angular rhythms and optimistic bursts both serve as examples of just what Makeout party do best; that is rock interesting and intersecting guitar lines that are energized by some vibrant, creative drumming, while excellent melodies float over top waiting to be sung along to. It's a sound that makes use of the layering process, leaving a rich and full product behind." - By Matt Music (Associated Content)

"This band knows how to orchestrate, they know how to create mood. The music is carefully textured and builds oh so subtly." - By Tiernan Welch. (dieshellsuit.com)

"Makeout Party clings to the true pre-pop-punk style of the genre. They've studied Elliott Smith and mastered that magical something that just makes you want to cry all over your spiral notebook and wipe away the tears with pages of scribbled poems that no one will ever read until you're dead." - by EvilNeedles.com

"This album is officially suicide proof I promise. Overall I’m hearing some great young indie song writers with a lot of diversity in what they play and how they play it. To the untrained ear this albums will be labeled ‘soft’. If this was your interpretation I ask you to listen again. If you still disagree then I say good day to you sir!" - Diatribeinc.com

"Reminds me a whole lot of about 10 years ago when emo bands could be emotional without being punky. These guys aren't trying to be hard, and instead they're writing catchy hooks and strong melodies with enough dynamics. Think pre-fame Jimmy Eat World or mid-career Promise Ring. Makeout Party are on one of the higher echelons of emo today in my mind." - Daniel Field. (ReadJunk.com)