End Of A Year

End of a Year emerged as an ever-shifting experimental rock outfit whose approach drew from punk’s emphasis on creative liberty rather than any fixed sonic formula. Vocalist and songwriter Patrick Kindlon assembled the project as an informal gathering of musicians based in and near Albany, New York. Most participants already belonged to other groups yet sought an extra outlet for expression, and the collective identity became so pronounced that every recording and live appearance featured a distinct roster, with Kindlon sometimes absent altogether. He also maintained a full-time role in Drug Church while pursuing work as a writer and visual artist.

The band took its name from a track by Embrace, the brief project uniting Ian MacKaye with his brother Alec MacKaye. That choice aligned with an aesthetic recalling the exploratory spirit of certain Dischord acts. The group first appeared publicly in 2003 at a State University of New York Albany concert, distributing a lo-fi demo of its material on the spot; several months afterward came a more refined demo called Warm. Oneohfive Records issued the debut album Disappear Here in 2004. The following year brought the initial single, a split 7" with Three Fifteen, and one of the band’s subsequent 45s attracted Revelation Records, which released the second album, Sincerely, in 2006. Deathwish Inc. later issued You Are Beneath Me in 2010.

Soon after that record appeared, Kindlon concluded the group required a fresh designation, likening the decision to Will Oldham’s successive renamings of Palace Brothers into Palace Music and eventually Bonnie “Prince” Billy as his methods matured. The 2011 single “I Heard Crime Gets You Off” came out under the End of a Year Self Defense Family banner. A handful of additional releases used Self Defense as the identifier before Try Me arrived in 2014, credited to Self Defense Family. Since that point the ensemble has continued to record and perform consistently as Self Defense Family.