Review: Defy You Stars - In The Meantime, In Between Time

In The Meantime, In Between Time is the long-awaited debut from Denver, Colorado trio Defy You Stars. An album filled to the brim with infectious and melodic alternative rock, In The Meantime, In Between Time is a strong release that’s sure to expand the band’s horizons.
The album begins with lead single, “Like Glass”, a track that allows listeners a peek into what to expect from the rest of the release. Carrying with it a Divided By Friday-esque sound, it’s lyrically and musically one of the record’s best showings, and showcases one of a variety of genres heard throughout. In The Meantime, In Between Time carries with it a constant alternative rock sound mixed with occasional rock (”Rest”), pop-punk (”Morning Talks, Late Night Walks”) and pop (”Eventually) sentiments, and allows listeners to hear the band’s ability to incorporate a diverse variety of genres into their music.
Vocalist Nikk Banos has a very strong range - akin to that of Ben Liebsch of You, Me, And Everyone We Know - which blends well with Defy You Stars’ melodic sound. Lyrically, the album covers the usual topics of love and relationships, while also incorporating a few personal songs detailing the band’s message of hope and perseverance.
The standout track is definitely the piano-driven, “Wildfires”. A truly beautiful acoustic song, it’s complete with equally beautiful lyrics (”And the worst pain was when we scraped our knees” and “Despite the fog on my window, I found clarity those nights we didn’t do anything at all”) and instrumentation that combines the elements of piano and guitar perfectly.
Overall, In The Meantime, In Between Time is a solid debut from a band who have worked incredibly hard to get to where they are. Defy You Stars have put their all into this release and it shows in the final, polished product. An album for fans of All Time Low, old-school You, Me, And Everyone We Know and Tonight Alive, it achieves a level of quality many in the alternative rock genre spend years trying to reach and is definitely a must have for music fans alike.
Download: Wildfires
4/5
