Many, many years ago, the idiosyncratic, art-damaged Albany project Self Defense Family emerged from the ashes of the hardcore band End Of The Year. It's hard to even describe Self Defense Family; it's basically a revolving-lineup collective that functions as a de facto solo project for sole permanent member Patrick Kindlon. When Kindlon started leading Drug Church around 2013, that band initially functioned as a Self Defense Family side project. Kindlon still likes to maintain that Self Defense Family is his main vehicle, even though it has gone inactive while Drug Church have taken off. Now, Self Defense is finally back.
Self Defense Family used to be active. Over the years, they put out a great many albums EPs, and splits — a vast enough discography that the music writer Miranda Reinert had a cool newsletter piece a few years ago that attempted to rank SDF records. It's been a minute since the last one, though. In 2020, Self Defense released a series of archival tracks and a two-song single. In 2023, they dropped a live album with a Neil Young cover. Today, we finally get a new Self Defense song.
The new single "Reclusion" is a clanging post-hardcore groove that recalls Lungfish. Kindlon, who loves Lungfish, bellows out poetic lyrics about being drawn in by "a voice in the woods" and about making a new life "far away from the screams." (These days, Kindlon lives in Australia with his wife.) The track sounds absolutely nothing like Drug Church, and Kindlon's voice is just as galvanizing in this context. Here's what Kindlon says about it:
I've been trying to write lyrics about family and animals instead of songs about being atomized and thinking everyone is crazy. But it turns out even my love songs are about being atomized and thinking everyone is crazy. Call it a creative throughline, I guess.
We've been playing together forever, so meeting up to write and record some songs is just a natural thing that happens. We recorded last year, but I've been holding up the process. Typically I go into the studio and write while I record, and it's only ever about conveying a moment. But this time, I'm struggling with the idea of getting things "perfect." A silly idea. But some of these songs are about things I want to get right the first time. I've got a family I love, but everyone is dying on me. I'd like to have lyrics that do it all justice.
As you can tell from that quote, there's talk of more new music from Self Defense. The band will also play some rare live shows in the months ahead — a pair of gigs with their peers in Fiddlehead and one in Chicago with reunited Philadelphia heroes Ink & Dagger. Check out "Reclusion" and those tour dates below.
TOUR DATES:
7/30 - Philadelphia, PA @ Lithuanian Music Hall *
7/31 - New York, NY @ Warsaw *
8/20 - Chicago, IL @ Metro ^
* with Fiddlehead, Elliott, & Posición Unida
^ with Ink & Dagger, Stress Positions, & Slow Mass
"Reclusion" is out now on Run For Cover.
