Labels: Jump Start Records
Review by: Dangerous Jamie
True passion fuelled political hardcore that is both melodic and powerful in equal measure is hard to find, but with One Win Choice you needn’t look any further. Since the release of Never Suspend Disbelief, the New Jersey quintet has rarely been far away from my stereo. This new EP have five new cuts assembled in between the extensive touring of the last year or so, and doesn’t fail to meet expectations.
Sticking to the vocal driven, chugging anthems that made the album so memorable makes this EP difficult to fault. The first three tracks are clearly the strongest of the bunch, which is why they made it onto the 7″ version I guess. Versus Goliath is my personal favourite, a raw and raucous ballad to anti-consumerism. The driving force of the album is a real message and a real desire to rock you the fuck out. The drums have a tendency to sound devoid of that required punch at a few key moments, but overall Define/Redefine is produced well and works best when cranked up to eleven. The last track on the CD version is Every Heart, which is a sort of Against Me style acoustic track which seems well out of place amongst the stompers that precede it.
Everything about Define/Redefine makes you want to learn the words, with each song destined to be another slice of counter culture anthemia. The working class charm that emanates from One Win Choice puts them on in pole position in the melodic hardcore Formula 1. I am gutted that I missed them when they were over here recently, as I haven’t had the chance to catch them live yet. Prepare to clench that fist, polish off your woah-woahs and get ready to apologise to the battered and bruised air directly about you.