REASON DEFINE

When rock music is done this well, it doesn’t need to be complicated “WE PULL INSPIRATION

from every form of music, so it’s hard to give specific influences,” says Caitlin Rutkowski, bassist with Charlotte, North Carolina rockers Reason Define. In truth, while their self-professed influences may be varied – they can be found referencing everyone from Beartooth and A Day To Remember to, erm, Lizzo on social media – the music they’ve crafted uses a tried and tested blueprint: making heavy rock music that sounds catchy and kicks ass.

Completed by vocalist Paolina Massaro, drummer Syd Mcvicker and guitarists Shelby Mcvicker and Sav Ruf,

Reason Define’s 2017 debut Far From

Strangers was an outstanding first album, brimming with huge riffs, irrepressible hooks and massive choruses. Their second album, last year’s In Memory…, expanded on that sound while bringing in a conceptually loaded theme: the Five

Stages Of Grief. Putting those stages into musical form meant the band could share their personal stories through song.

“As a band, we stand for strength and self-expression,” Caitlin continues.

“It’s hard to do life alone, and we hope to be able to express ourselves and our own emotion through our music for people to be able to connect with it on a personal level.”

One listen to songs like Kingdom and Reaper is proof of that – tracks that are packed with empowering lyrics that make us all feel alive, even through the dark times. Caitlin agrees: “We express a lot of emotion through our music live and we love to perform. People feed off that energy heavily.”

IN MEMORY… IS OUT NOW