DefendDefend - Summer War

DefendDefend

Summer War
​self-released; 2022

3.7 out of 5

By Jamie Funk
​

DefendDefend is a four-piece composed of GIO (vocals/bass), Dan N. (guitar), Mark U. (guitar/vocals) and Alex C. (drums) from central Jersey, spread across Union county. They mention “All four of us are completely different in our musical backgrounds.” That makes sense to me because on their release Summer War there are a number of different styles.

I’m in my fourth decade of life and some genres as you age do make you feel old. Pop-punk (which is one of the main genres on this release) for instance seems heavily geared towards people who are coming of age. This EP has a similar quality. There are subtle and not so subtle things in the music that in my opinion will make this resonate with a younger audience. 

The band starts with “#CALIBOY” and off the bat the band goes into killer grooves. They don’t seem to be running short of ideas. The song is largely instrumental and the vocals don’t come in till about halfway through. It reminded me of two groups. Les Savy Fav and Fucked Up. The vocals are dynamic and delivered in a lot of different ways. 

“Static” starts with a number of solid grooves. The vocals are spoken word and a bit dramatic sounding at first. As the song progresses it proves to be versatile and unique. Lyrically, I interpreted the song to be an uncontrolled mind. The vocalist sings “Staring into empty space / Ruminations all erased / Train of thought is off the rails / In my mind I hear just.” In all honesty it sounded like the thoughts of a person who might benefit from meditating.

“Red Star” starts with a killer groove. I loved the guitar work but the whole band crushed it. There’s some death metal like screaming, the song gets faster and rides a lot of kinetic energy. The vocals are intense as in the other songs.

“Summer War'' is an atmospheric song and perhaps the best example of utilizing two vocalists. The song gets fast at points and is a fun ride. I loved some of the transitions as well such as the military like snare drums and chanting vocal harmonies towards the end. 

​The band is really talented. The album did feel coming of age to me but more like a cathartic and aggressive response to the situation. This day and age it felt very appropriate. This was a solid release and I surmise this is just the beginning for them.

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