Review :: Souvenirs :: Tired Of Defending You

Written by: Andrea Janov, CC2K Music Editor

When the Souvenirs album came to me, I gave it a listen and put it to the back of my head. I would classify them as a heavier emo band, which really isn’t my style. But each time I listened to the album it grew on me more and I began to think that there are some great elements in these tracks that I think that emo fans would really adore, so I tried to shake off my personal preferences long enough to write you this review of Tired of Defending You.

I don’t know a lot about these guys, either they don’t like talking about themselves or they want to let the music speak for itself. Either way, all the background info that I have on them is that they are from Cali and have only been playing together for a year. Only having been together since last July, Tired Of Defending You is a solid ten track EP.

Like I said, they are a heavy emo band, the heaviness mainly relies on the drums and the gritty guitar. Each track has its own emotional arch, from a calm voice to a scream, that brings the listener into the emotional world the Souvenirs is trying to create. These songs really soar when they are listened to at full volume.

Tired of Defending You, kicks off with Port Authority, a slow, muted, track with these heavy beats that give the emotionless of the song so much power. While track two, Sucker, ranges from quiet vocals to a super catchy almost screamed chorus. It is at track 6, that this album really starts to come into its own. Squeeze, is faster and more upbeat than the rest of the album, yet totally fits in with the more subdued songs that preceded it. The fast pace is not dropped after this track, track 7, Growing Out of Your Favorite Shirts has some great raw screaming sections that really reflect passion that the quieter sections cannot convey. And tracks 8 and 9, Blood In the Water and Sadder Days are jammed with energy that will be able to start any circle pit.

The album ends on a more melancholy song, but Deep 6 is somber in a different way than the rest of the album. It has a new wave feel to it– slow and menacing before it breaks out into a screaming section over distorted instruments that take us to the end of the track and cap off the whole experience of the album.

Since I am admittedly not an expert in this type of music, don’t take my word for it, check out Sucker for yourself. If you dig it, Tired of Defending You is available via 6131 records.