Almost Enemies, a Midwest punk band from St. Joseph, released a re-recording of their EP “Circles” on October 30.
Before their name was Almost Enemies, the band was under the name Kulpwritz for about two years before rebranding to Almost Enemies.
“Founded by Jake Wright and Kyle Culp, and fueled by the sheer support of their father, and the many musical influences we had - it was without a doubt that Kyle and Jake would form a band and pursue their passion as musicians,” the band says.
The band’s original lineup was guitarist/singer Jake Wright, drummer Kyle Culp, and bassist Tony McCrorey, with the first recording of the “Circles” EP being released in 2021. Culp then changed to lead guitar. Josh Davis stepped in as drummer, building a new influence on the re-recording of the EP. Levi Sapp of The December then joined as bassist.
This makes the current lineup of the band: Jake Wright, Kyle Culp, Levi Sapp, and Josh Davis.
For the updated version of “Circles,” Almost Enemies worked with Lyon’s Den Recording Services.
“We started out with a scratch track initially; that was laid down as the foundation,” the band says. “After that, we went instrument by instrument layering each element until the final song was complete.
“Recording at Lyon’s Den is overall a very stress-free and productive studio to record in. Tim Groce is very open-minded, and his technological knowhow and producing skills helped us define small details which improved and complemented our overall sound.”
Almost Enemies was built upon a multitude of influences, including The Wonder Years, blink-182, The Ramones, Agent Orange, Killswitch Engage, Opeth, Avenged Sevenfold and Turnstile. The band states that they ‘typically aim for that punk/pop punk, alt-rock genre’ when it comes to writing originals.
The “Circles” EP kicks off with the song “Drowning.”
“‘Drowning’ was the first song we recorded,” Almost Enemies says. “Inspired by feelings and experiences of negativity, the song was aimed at relating to people through those uncomfortable experiences. All of our music, in most capacities, is written with the intention to relate to our fans and listeners.”
The second track “Kingdoms” is as the band describes “purely a creative song about kings and princesses, knights and wizards. We just wanted to have fun with that one!”
The third track “Chasing Dreams” was one of the first songs I had heard by the band. It sounded like an anthem of a young band who wants to see what is out there in the world and obtain it in every way possible.
The band says: “‘Chasing Dreams’ was written about achieving goals and feeling passionate about pursuing our dreams.”
Finally, the EP concludes with the title track.
“‘Circles’ is a breakup song essentially, and everyone kinda knows how that goes,” the band says.
Ultimately, listening to the updated version of the “Circles” EP is simultaneously nostalgic and fresh. I have followed the band’s music since I heard the original EP; since then, they have released a follow-up EP called “Small Town Politics” in which they have refined their sound and continue to grow in their punk-rock fascination. The 2024 version of “Circles” is an intriguing look-back at what the band had achieved previously - but also builds on what they will achieve next.
The band’s next show is at Cafe Acoustic with The Arsonists on Sunday, November 24.
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