One Win Choice – Define/Redefine

One Win Choice‘s newest EP (a 3 song 7inch with downloaded bonus songs or a five song CDEP depending on which version you purchased) is the New Jersey’s follow up to the underground favorite Never Suspend Disbelief. For those who are familiar with the band’s debut, you should already know what you’re getting yourself into. For those of who you aren’t, let me sum it up for you in one simple sentence:Define/Redefine is a fast, aggressive, politically charged hardcore album from the heart of New Jersey.

The album starts off with a staccato drum beat and angry, growling vocals overtop. The only time they pull back the intensity is with a short bass solo before they blast back into it again. The intensity in the opening track is constantly evident, as they throw in lightning fast guitar riffs with enough breakdowns to split the pit apart. There are moments where they slow it down, break it down to the bare bones and slowly build it up with sing-along gang vocals which helps cement the call for change – listen to the final moments of Under Quarantine and try to say you don’t feel a sense of community as they scream “Our hearts / our minds / our dreams are locked behind!“, you won’t be able to. It all sounds like a more New Jersey based version of Comeback Kid‘s Broadcasting…, meaning its the CBK formula with some tinges of Lifetime and Shook Ones thrown in.

The only time the band deviates from the traditional punk/hardcore style is on the closing Every Heart. There they strip it down to a sole electric guitar and Dan Kloza’s vocals (with some occasional backups too). With some similarities to The Shaking Hands, the song becomes the most powerful on the album because they strip down the overtly political tone and go for something much more relatable. Praising the underground music scene, the song successfully pulls the listener in and gets them slowly chanting along with them. It’s a beautiful way to end the EP and shows that the band is capable to deviate from their norm if they feel the need to.

Define/Redefine won’t change much and they’re not attempting to break new grounds or boundaries on it. But what they lack in originality, they make up for in intensity and sincerity. A solid EP from the hardcore community.