Review Summary: With the release of "Dear Father," celebrated hardcore act Defeater attempt to fan the flames of anticipation....
Although only having been around for a handful of years, the guys in Boston hardcore act Defeater have made quite a name for themselves. Enough so, that fans have been patiently waiting (read: foaming at the mouth) for the band’s follow up to their 2008 debut,
Travels. With a mere month until the release of said follow-up,
Empty Days & Sleepless Nights, Defeater has dropped a morsel to tide us over.
Yet let it be known that the word
morsel should be stressed, as there is an implausibly small amount of content here. Despite being mum on its release--dropping seemingly in secret--
Dear Father, which by all rights is sort of a pleasant surprise, still comes as a disappointment. After all, less than two years prior, the band proved they could pack in just as much intensity and power into an EP as they could a full blown album. However, there is a clear difference here:
Lost Ground (their 2009 EP) was a fully fleshed out, thoughtfully planned and well executed piece, while this simply is not.
The first half of
Dear Father is the
de facto reason to listen to this. The eponymous track is classic Defeater, capturing the rapid-fire, feverous pace, while at the same time being wonderfully thoughtful and emotional. It’s got a little softer edge to it when compared to much of the rest of their songs as well, which only bolstered by Derek’s more refined vocal delivery. That isn’t to say he’s gone soft on ‘Dear Father,‘ but the cleaning up of his scream and bellow has made his already impressive set of pipes even more effective. Another highlight is that once more, lyrically, Defeater have proven to be heads and shoulders above their peers, with certain passages having genuine, thoughtful backings:
Dear Father, Dear Father.
So, what are you gonna do?
Be the hero that your father was.
So, what are you gonna do?
Be the man man they want you to be.
And, you are your father's son.
Dear Father, Dear Father.
The band hasn’t stated whether or not this EP works into the over all concept that their two previous releases have been working on, but it clearly plays into the familial themes that have been prevalent thus far.
Unfortunately, things take a bit of a dive in the second half. ’I Don’t Mind’ is a strictly acoustic piece, and while charming in its own right, it’s simply a very weak track. It neither displays the songwriting proficiency of the band or the emotional power that they typically exude. The song isn’t weak because it’s acoustic, but rather, it feels completely flat, devoid of any genuine feeling. Lyrically, it’s in the vein of hard rock ballad, as it lacks the subtlety and nuance of truly beautiful love song. That being said, it’s still a fine song, but nothing worthy of the name that Defeater has made for themselves.
Dear Father, for what it's worth, is a worthy listen, despite only half of the EP displaying true excellence. Yet what really makes this record loose points is its content, or lack thereof. I can't help but feel like this was a rapidly placed together piece to stoke the embers of intrigue, as we are so very close to the release date of
Empty Days & Sleepless Nights. It's nice, really, having
something to nibble on, but a bit more effort would have made this a much more worthwhile release.
