This week we feature San Francisco’s The Makes Nice, a trio who draw on a garage rock sound pallete, which they infuse with catchy melodic pop and the raw energy of punk. Much is made of guitarist Josh Smith, bassist Aaron Burnham, and drummer Jack Matthew’s musical resumes, and they’re certainly impressive, as the three have been (or currently are also) members of The Fucking Champs, The Mothballs, and Harold Ray Live in Concert between them.

The band’s debut album, Candy Wrapper & Twelve Other Songs, came out earlier this year to significant critical approval. It’s a jam-packed blast of music that crams a ton of sweet vocal harmonies and tight guitar solos into a nice half-hour package. Not consistent to rest on that work, though, these voracious songwriters are already releasing a follow-up titled This Time Tomorrow, out on Frenetic Records on October 16th. The best elements from the first album are back in the second, which may even be a tighter work than the band’s debut. We’re pleased to include three new songs in this podcast episode.

We caught up with the guys at Secret Studios a couple of weeks ago to discuss the two albums, their upcoming nationwide tour, and how they manage to pack so much good stuff into two minutes or less. They’re funny, smart guys with a great, if intimidating, sense of music history, making for a really fun interview.

Catch The Makes Nice’s last San Francisco date before they go on tour:

Sunday, September 23rd
Great American Music Hall
w/ The Fucking Champs and Danava
8pm, $13 (purchase advance tickets here)

You can also catch the band this Saturday night on KALX Live on KALX 90.7FM at 9pm.

To hear more from The Makes Nice, and to find out all of the dates on their national tour, visit their MySpace page. This Time Tomorrow comes out on October 16, 2007 on Frenetic Records. Head to Frenetic’s web site to purchase it and Candy Wrapper and Twelve Other Songs, or check them out on iTunes.