Believe it or not, Manic didn’t want to get signed to Suretone, the new label of ex-Geffen president Jordan Schur. Not because they had something against them but they didn’t want their creativity stifled by a corporation. This band, who crafts lush, layered pop rock, wanted to do things on their terms and to be the masters of their own destiny.
 
“We’re believers in the idea that the only way you can grow as a band is to play shows and work your ass off, as opposed to trying to write a hit single,” explains guitarist/keyboardist Zane Smythe. “We want to make a good record that we like, not radio singles. And if things don’t work out, we can at least have made a record we are proud of.” Spoken like a true artisan that isn’t interested in the politics and culture of the music business machine. Smythe finishes his thought, saying, “What we try to do is make a quality album, as opposed to a product that will appeal to a bunch of people. We know that the people we do appeal to will be into it on a deep level.” Clearly, Manic know what they want, in terms of their business and their art, and they’ve found a way to balance the two.
 
“We had no inclination to sign with a major label,” says Smythe. “We recorded a demo that was essentially the Floorboards EP.” The five-track EP in question ended up landing in Schur’s hands who quickly approached the band because he couldn’t stop listening to it. “We wanted a deal where we could do what we wanted to do. He said yes to everything we asked for, so we couldn’t turn him down,” Smythe says.
 
Rare is the case where a band dictates its own terms to a label courting it for a record deal, but Manic, featuring drummer Ryan Green, bassist Nate Perry, and vocalist/keyboardist Paul Gross, is a rare band in many facets. Manic are actually native to Los Angeles. They didn’t come from somewhere else to L.A. in order to find success like so many bands these days; rather, they’re from L.A., and formed there five years ago. “There is so much going on,” Smythe says about the L.A. scene. “It’s over-ridden with bands, and inherently, it makes people care less and more fickle. With Manic, we are striving to not be an L.A. band. We’re just trying to set ourselves apart with our songs and with how we present the songs live.”
 
Manic’s music has a throbbing pulse, and a sharp current of energy runs through it. But the music is as hooky as it is angular and smart. Their songs are expansive, with lots of textures and layers.
 
Opening track “Chemical for Criminals” serves as the band’s mission statement: Gross bellows over driving guitars, pounding drums, pulsing bass and a heap of effects. “Leaving Araby”and “In a Room on Fire” highlight the band’s more subdued side before erupting into a collage of sound. Closer “Mr Evans” begins with sparse piano layered over glitchy electronics slowly building to a glorious climax complete with marching band drums.
 
Onthe album, Sparta drummer Tony Hajar, who lives two blocks away from Smythe, performed the drum tracks, since Green was sidelined with a brief stint in jail. Manic decided to go ahead and record with Hajar in order to keep active and stave off stagnancy while Green served his time. “We didn’t want to do nothing,” Smythe reveals about the band’s decision to move forward while their drummer took care of his business. “We recorded with Tony, because we were ready, and we’re friends with him, so it’s not a stretch.”
 
Musically, Manic admit they are not here to cater or to kowtow to radio. They just want to write songs with plenty of depth, breadth and scope, songs that they can replicate live.
 
“We are a fairly tech-heavy band,” says Smythe, shedding light on his band’s sound. “We use a lot of gear. Our bassist has a keyboard. Our drummer has a keyboard next to him. I have a keyboard. We have a laptop, guitar, and vocal effects, etc, so the music is on the technical side. We’re big fans of stuff that’s sparse but not thin. When we record, we throw everything into the pot and start reducing, and what’s left is what we play live. We’re fans of music that is thick and we think we do a really good job at representing ourselves and our songs when we play them live.”
 
Indeed, whether Manic is experienced live or on their transfixing EP, they are an explosive band employing a barrage of sound to entrance their listeners. However, this is just the precursor of what’s to come.