Mach Five is a New York-based guitar-pop quartet led by vocalist/guitarist Jeff Darien. The band formed in the spring of 1995, and over the next year, they played continually throughout Manhattan. In 1996, they released a seven-inch single, "Sunday's Here"/"Blown Away," on Wagon Train. Although the single was limited to 1,000 copies, it earned good word of mouth, receiving a positive review in Billboard and spins on several college stations across the U.S. Shortly afterward, the positive buzz and the band's demo led to a bidding war, and the band signed with Island in 1997. Mach Five recorded their first album with
Steven Haigler at Ardent Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. The resulting record, Mach Five, was released in March of 1998. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine