Ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

's self-titled 7-inch EP was their first release on

Orange County, California Orange County is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,186,989, making it the third-most-populous county in California, the sixth-most-populous in the United States, a ...

, record label,

Indecision Records Indecision Records is an independent American hardcore punk record label, which was started by punk photographer and fanzine editor Dave Mandel in 1992 as an offshoot of his fanzine, ''Indecision''. It is based in Garden Grove, California, and ...

. It was released in May, 1996 on 7-inch vinyl only. The production run was limited to 3336 on black vinyl, 330 on grey, 449 on blue and a further 100 on black vinyl with a different cover to coincide with a European tour.discography: indecision records
/ref> This was in line with

tradition of putting out releases by new bands on colored and normal vinyl and was carried through to their next release, the '' Fall from Grace (EP)''. It was later re-released on CD as part of a

retrospective A retrospective (from Latin ''retrospectare'', "look back"), generally, is a look back at events that took place, or works that were produced, in the past. As a noun, ''retrospective'' has specific meanings in medicine, software development, popu ...

compilation, ''

Three Years Two Months Eleven Days ''Three Years Two Months Eleven Days'' was an album of early material, often referred to as a retrospective, by the American band Ensign. Recorded in various sessions between January 1996 and July 1998 – including a live recording – and with ...

'', in April 2000 after the band had left to join

Nitro Records Nitro Records was an American independent record label, founded in 1994 and operated by The Offspring's Dexter Holland and Greg K. Nitro is famous for being an incubator for punk rock artists who have subsequently become successful, most notabl ...

in 1998.

Overview

Although the band had relocated to California in 1995, and subsequently signed to an independent label there, their musical roots were firmly back in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, or more specifically the

New York hardcore New York hardcore (also known as NYHC) is both the hardcore punk music created in New York City and the subculture and lifestyle (sociology), lifestyle associated with that music. New York hardcore grew out of the hardcore scene established in Wa ...

scene. The songs were short and played at a frenetic pace, with ample use of a

refrain A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in poetry — the "chorus" of a song. Poetic fixed forms that feature refrains include the vi ...

, known in the genre as a

breakdown Breakdown may refer to: Breaking down *Breakdown (vehicle), failure of a motor vehicle in such a way that it cannot be operated *Chemical decomposition, also called chemical breakdown, the breakdown of a substance into simpler components *Decompo ...

. This was to be their sound throughout their stay of three years at

Track listing

#"Alzheimers" (

) – 1:24 #"Pale Horse" (Ensign) – 2:28 #"Trying Again" (Ensign, Ron Wood) – 1:56 #"Enemy Of My Enemy" (Ensign) – 2:46

Credits

* Tim Shaw – vocals * John Fraunberger – guitar * Walt Svekla – bass * Chris Ross – drums * Recorded January 11 – 15, 1996 at Sweetwood Sound,

, USA * Produced by Pete Koller * Engineered Alap Momin assisted by Keith Deblasi

References

External links

Indecision Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ensign (Ep) 1996 debut EPs Ensign (band) EPs Indecision Records EPs