Codefendants Release “Def Cons”

Casual punks Codefendants submit a sensational spring offering in the ska-style groove-laden “Def Cons,” which is due out this month everywhere that quality independent music is available, and in its larger-than-life beats and smoking melodies, we discover an embracive, angst-ridden narrative that every alternative rock fan needs to hear in 2023. Codefendants are turning up the charm behind the microphone in this top-notch indie track, but their sweet compositional skills are only one of the many gems to be appreciated in the few minutes that it takes the surprisingly sprawling “Def Cons” to completely blossom. 

Each component within the instrumentation is mixed with sublime attention to detail here, with every nuanced percussive thrust and subtle sway of the strings receiving the VIP treatment in the grander scheme of things. There’s no inefficiency on the soundboard; we’re given front-row seats to a seemingly pressurized performance by Codefendants in this song that rivals what I can only imagine their live shows must be like. They’ve got such an amazing presence here that, if it were to hold up in concert, their live performances would make for a can’t-miss event that alternative enthusiasts alike could get into as much as they would anything the more familiar NOFX has done. 

While most of their contemporaries in and out of the underground have been going in a more surreal direction with their music, Codefendants is doing the exact opposite in “Def Cons,” and with excellent results. “Def Cons” is straightforward both compositionally and sonically, and in their focused, concise attack, this act gives us all of the muscle in the melody without any of the added bells and whistles that I would normally expect to hear in a new single of this type. They’ve cut out anything unnecessary here while avoiding the pitfalls that come with a barebones minimalist indie sound. The experimental edge is still there, it’s just joined with a conservative style of execution that suits their sound exceptionally well. 

I can see this song being a hugely successful jam live. The framework is flexible enough to support some extended guitar breakdowns, and this consistent beat could get an entire club moving in synchronicity. Codefendants constructed the choruses to be interchangeable and easy to shift if necessary, and with a loud crowd’s energy there to feed off of, there’s not a doubt in my mind that “Def Cons” could easily turn a dull evening into a night that audiences would never forget. They’re one heck of an outfit, and anyone who might have questioned their talents outside of more well-known projects in the past would do well to give this single a close examination. 

If you’ve never heard the work of Codefendants before now, “Def Cons” is the perfect way to get acquainted with the veteran sequel’s blend of old-fashioned punk rock and muted brutality in a single, awesome cocktail of sound. I’ve been following this act for a little while now, and as anyone familiar with their music is well aware, they’ve never stopped growing as performers and composers in the time that they’ve been active in the underground.  

Mindy McCall