Self Defense Family sounds like the smartest, most exhausted person in the room finally telling you exactly what is on their mind. It is music built on repetition and tension, eschewing the typical explosive releases of hardcore for a steady, hypnotic pulse. The guitars often interlock in jagged, clean patterns that owe as much to 80s post-punk as they do to modern indie rock, creating a backdrop that is both skeletal and surprisingly lush.
What truly sets them apart is Patrick Kindlon's vocal delivery. He does not sing in the traditional sense, nor does he scream. Instead, he offers a gravelly, rhythmic oration that feels like a stream of consciousness. It is conversational, confrontational, and deeply literary. The production is notoriously dry and intimate, making it feel as though the band is performing in your living room, warts and all.
Start with 'Have You Considered Punk Music' to hear their most refined statement on identity and the creative life. If you prefer something more jagged and experimental, 'Try Me' offers a sprawling look at their collaborative, ever-shifting collective nature. It is music for the moments when you want to think as much as you want to feel.
Self Defense Family (shortened to Self Defense and previously known as End of a Year) are an American rock band with members from across the United States and England. The band has released six full-length albums and several EPs and splits. Their sixth and latest studio album Have You Considered Punk Music was released June 29, 2018, on Run For Cover Records.
Shares live recording, dry intimate, minimalist (production style); urban night, basement show, solitude (atmosphere)
Shares live recording, dry intimate, minimalist (production style); dive bar, urban night, basement show (atmosphere)
Shares dive bar, urban night, basement show (atmosphere); post-hardcore, post-punk (subgenres)
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Shares live recording, dry intimate, minimalist (production style); post-hardcore, art rock (subgenres)
Shares dive bar, urban night, basement show (atmosphere); restless, brooding, tense (moods)
Shares post-hardcore, post-punk, art rock (subgenres); dive bar, urban night, basement show (atmosphere)
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