Mach Five

Fronted by vocalist and guitarist Jeff Darien, Mach Five functions as a guitar-pop quartet headquartered in New York. The group came together in spring 1995 and sustained a steady circuit of shows across Manhattan throughout the ensuing twelve months. Wagon Train pressed their 1996 seven-inch single coupling “Sunday’s Here” with “Blown Away,” an edition limited to one thousand copies. Despite the modest run, favorable word-of-mouth grew after a positive Billboard notice and rotation on numerous U.S. college stations. That buzz, paired with the band’s demo, ignited a bidding war and produced a 1997 deal with Island. Steven Haigler produced the debut album at Ardent Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, and the self-titled Mach Five appeared in March 1998.