A constantly evolving experimental rock band that embraces the philosophy and creative freedom of punk rock without always paying attention to the accepted template of its sound, End of a Year are the brainchild of vocalist and songwriter Patrick Kindlon, who created the group as a loose collective of musicians living in and around Albany, New York. Most of the players who floated in and out of End of a Year were already in bands but were looking for an additional creative outlet, and they have embraced their collective nature so strongly that no two recordings or performances have included precisely the same lineup (even Kindlon sits out on occasion, and he's also a full-time member of Drug Church as well as a writer and artist). End of a Year took their name from a song by Embrace, a short-lived collaboration between Ian MacKaye and his brother Alec MacKaye. The name suited the band's music, which resembled the approach of the more adventurous Dischord bands, and in 2003, End of a Year made their public debut with a show at State University of New York Albany; they cut a lo-fi demo of their songs that they gave away at the performance, and a more polished demo, titled Warm, appeared a few months later. In 2004, End of a Year released their first album, Disappear Here, through Oneohfive Records; in 2005, they issued the first of many singles, in this case a split 7" with the band Three Fifteen, and it was one of the group's 45s that caught the attention of Revelation Records, who struck a deal with End of a Year to release their second album, 2006's Sincerely. In 2010, End of a Year hooked up with the independent punk label Deathwish Inc., and issued the album You Are Beneath Me. Not long after the album was released, Kindlon decided the band needed a new name; he compared the shift in monikers to Will Oldham changing the name of Palace Brothers to Palace Music and later Bonnie "Prince" Billy as his creative approach grew and evolved. The 2011 single "I Heard Crime Gets You Off" was released under the handle End of a Year Self Defense Family. A few stray releases used Self Defense as the group's name before 2014 saw the release of Try Me, credited to Self Defense Family. The group has recorded and performed regularly under the name Self Defense Family ever since. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi