By Alex Kantarelis

Hardcore music tends to have very close-minded fans. They like their songs aggressive, with mosh pits, sing-alongs and screaming vocals. When Defeater burst onto the scene in 2008, vocalist Derek Archambault was well aware of what hardcore was supposed to sound like, having been a lifelong fan. But his approach to being the front man was different. It started with the storyline the lyrics told, which stood apart from the “you stabbed me in the back, and now, I’m going to scream about it” lyrics of most vocalists.

While Defeater’s style has its own unique qualities, it is still a hardcore band writing hardcore songs. As the writing process developed, the band added one acoustic song to the mix. As the band began touring relentlessly, that song became one of its most requested songs; halfway through its first U.S. tour with Massachusetts band Energy, Archambault started bringing an acoustic guitar on stage, and the song was officialaly added to the band’s set list. The reaction was positive, and when the band set up to record Empty Days and Sleepless Nights, it decided to break the mold of hardcore with a record of half hardcore, half acoustic songs. Again, the reaction was positive, and those songs started making their way onto the Defeater set list.

So with Defeater cementing itself as one of Massachusetts’ biggest and best bands, and with the addition of those new songs, Archambault was gaining the confidence to really push the envelope as a singer and songwriter. “In the beginning, I was just writing a riff and singing over it, but now, I’ve really started writing songs that I am proud of,” he said.

Taking the name Alcoa, Archambault released an 11-song LP on Boston’s Bridge 9 Records, the same label Defeater is on. “I’m very lucky to be working with Bridge 9. It’s really great that they believed in the band,” he said. Alcoa actually started before Defeater was even a band, but the project never really left the writing process. Archambault would write a few songs here and there but never really did much with them, and he compared those songs to earlier Bright Eyes and Dashboard Confessional.

As Defeater became his main band, many of those old Alcoa songs were shelved for years. When it was time to write the acoustic side of Empty Days and Sleepless Nights, Archambault resurrected some of those older ideas. Defeater’s guitarist and studio engineer, Jay Maas, helped instill some confidence in Archambault to do the Alcoa LP.

“When we were in Europe, Jay said that I really found my voice,” Archambault said. That motivated him to write songs that were far beyond anything he had ever written, giving Alcoa a sound that strays far from the Bright Eyes sound he once had. He displays an unbelievable vocal range with help from his fiancée, Alyssa, who lends her voice to several tracks.

Defeater has found itself on the Warped Tour this summer, and while Alcoa is a full band, with full instrumentation, Archambault will be solo, with just his guitar, playing the Alcoa songs on the Warped Tour’s acoustic stage, along with Kevin Seconds, of 7 Seconds fame, and Vinnie Caruana, of The Movielife and I Am The Avalanche.

“It’s a real honor to be able to share the stage with those guys,” he said. With the exception of Warped Tour, Alcoa will mostly play locally, since Archambault is so busy with Defeater’s touring schedule.

If you’re looking for something mellow to listen to, just in time for the warm weather, look no further than Alcoa.

The new LP, Bone and Marrow, is available now from Bridge 9 Records. For more information, visit alcoa.bandcamp.com.