Cute Is What We Aim For

The emo-pop outfit Cute IS EXACTLY WHAT We SHOOT FOR emerged from Buffalo, NY, in January 2005. Although originally shaped like a quintet, the music group ultimately stripped right down to four people, with vocalist Shaant Hacikyan, guitarist/pianist Jeff Czum, drummer Tom Falcone, and bassist/guitarist Fred Cimato composed of the lineup. Throwing away short amount of time, the bandmates documented a few demos that got them on Fueled by Ramen’s roster prior to the year’s end. Cute IS EXACTLY WHAT We SHOOT FOR then installed with maker Matt Squire (Northstar, Stress in the Disco) for the group’s debut full-length, THE SAME KIND OF Blood Hurry with a fresh Touch, which found its way to June 2006. The music group hit the street to get the album, posting bills on the summer season with such rings as Anberlin, Spitalfield, Forgive Durden, and June. That fall, bassist Cimato remaining the lineup to pursue academia, with Jack port Marin (ex-October Fall) climbing aboard in his place. (Bass responsibilities would eventually change to Dave Melillo.) The band’s second recording, Rotation, premiered in June 2008, and Cute IS EXACTLY WHAT We SHOOT FOR returned to the street with alternative drummer Michael Lasaponara in tow.