Brooklyn, NY · melodic punk · punk rock

MakeWar

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Brooklyn gruff-melodic trio with big, aching choruses and an immigrant's-eye lyric sheet — made for the last-hour singalong slot, beers raised.

MakeWar is a punk trio based in Brooklyn, fronted by Venezuelan-born singer and guitarist Jose Prieto, alongside bassist Edwin Santacruz and drummer Alejandro Serritiello. The three have been touring and recording together for close to a decade.

They work in the gruff-vocal melodic punk tradition, pairing hoarse group choruses with lyrics about displacement, family and moving between countries. Prieto's songwriting also turns toward heartbreak and the harder stretches of daily life, treating the band's records as a way of working through them.

Across three albums, MakeWar's music has dealt directly with despair and mental health, functioning as a kind of catharsis for the band as much as for listeners. Their fourth album, A Paradoxical Theory of Change, marks a shift toward accepting change and reflecting on personal growth and resilience.

The band records for Fat Wreck Chords and has toured widely across the US and Europe, building its following through steady live dates that stretch across the better part of a decade rather than through a single scene or city.

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melodic punkpunk rock