Hertfordshire band Defences promised us “the launching point for a brand new sound” that would be “heavier, more experimental and soulful, more personal and intimate” when we interviewed them about their single In Eclipse back in April 2019. Fast-forward five years, and today’s release of their third album sees them very much settling into and flourishing in that thrilling new sound.
Defences, formed of Cherry Duesbury (vocals), William Young (keys and vocals), Calum Wilmot (guitar), Owen Hughes-Holland (bass) and Kyle Parke (drums), first arrived on our radar way back when they were our New Band of the Week in September 2017, following the release of debut album With Might and Main. We’ve since reviewed at least three of their gigs and featured them as one of our first podcast guests, but all of that has built up to today’s launch of their third album Shadowlight.
On the album, vocalist Cherry told us: “Shadowlight is the light that can be found in dark places. The penumbra. For us, it is a mental state, the place in-between. Where we must learn to explore the uncomfortable, accept our darkness, and use the light to uncover the brilliant illuminations it conceals.”
This concept of light and dark is reflected in the album’s theme and artwork, as the band explains: “The original concept for a ‘light and dark’ album theme came about very early on in the writing process. One of the most important factors for the artwork was that it should highlight the brightness of the story as a whole. Even though the collection of songs that make up Shadowlight are tonally our darkest yet, the exploration of the shadow is not the whole story. It is a story about the journey towards self-acceptance. The Shadow version of Cherry in the artwork is only partially visible, as parts of her blend into the surrounding light, visualising this. “
Shadowlight Review
Ahead of the album’s release, Defences told us: “This is an album about obsession, our deepest motivations and the battle between acceptance and longing that keeps us from living in the present. That is what ‘Longing’ is: To live in The Almost.
“One of the defining characteristics of the human condition is the need for more. The longing for the next step, the yearning for recognition and wishing for happiness that always seems just out of reach. We’ve all experienced these feelings in one way or another, and over the course of this record we explore our own encounters with this darker side of ourselves. Light a match and let the Shadow Work begin.”
Defences ease us into Shadowlight with an eerie intro to The Curse, which sees plodding electronic sounds joined by a crushing guitar riff. Clean vocals come in before blasting into a vicious combination of William’s powerful screams and Cherry’s melodic cleans. That feeds into a big catchy chorus “Just feels like something isn’t right, Can’t help but wonder, If I messed up in another life, Is this bad luck or are we, Just living in a nightmare? Living in a nightmare? Just give it up, been long enough, Can anybody tell me what we’re doing wrong? Is it just bad luck? I can’t keep living in a nightmare, Living in a nightmare.” A second chorus drops into whispery vocals before booming low-tuned guitars support William’s heavy vocals, setting up a final blast of the delicious chorus. Check it out in the video here:
Next, Gold In The Dark opens up with another eerie little electronic sound with little cries of “dark side” flowing into a mellow verse and a melodic chorus. The track is layered with electronic elements, including high-pitched synths over bouncy chords after the chorus, before it intensifies with big screamed vocals and a driving riff.
The darkness ramps up a notch with Perish, which opens up with a cool little riff dropping into a laid-back verse. But it bursts into life with screams and powerful synths building up to a chorus. A third chorus drops into spoken vocals “Light a match and let the shadow work begin, Inner sanctum, Where it’s time for me to let you in,” before blasting into huge low-tuned guitars and piercing synths setting up a big outro.
Ego(Maniac) grabs your attention with high-pitched synths before an engaging verse, flowing into a melodic chorus. Wild guitars drop into a dreamy section with electronic drums, then a cool flickering synth lick before crushing guitar chords set up a melodic outro. That’s followed by Silence & The Sound, which opens up with a creepy little synth riff that sounds like it’s stepped right out of a horror movie, then heavy guitars support Cherry’s vocals. It drops into more laid-back vocals that flow into a deliciously comforting chorus before a very chilled-out conclusion.
Breathe It In begins with really cool electronic noises before a massive riff drops into echoey vocals and a pulsing synth sound. A slight pause ushers in a big atmospheric chorus, which gives way to a section with the lines “And from down here I see, My place in everything, It’s beautiful and terrifying, Am I living or is life happening to me?” that bridge into another chorus. That gives way to echoey vocals, which ends with Cherry’s held note being joined by huge guitars and William’s screams. This song is absolutely huge, and you can check it out here:
We have a little time to recover in the chilled-out Inspirit before The Almost opens up with a pulsing low synth and higher notes support Cherry’s engaging vocals. Guitars kick in as we fly into a big catchy chorus “Don’t want a lifetime of living in the almost, No regrets, no unknowns, How much blood do we give before we’re dry? ‘Did you try?’ A lifetime of living in the almost, I came close, fell short, almost became, I almost gave my hand up” with driving drums and synths. A naughty little guitar lick takes over, followed by delicious high-pitched vocals feeding into another chorus.
Penultimate track Greatness starts with moody synths and effects-ridden vocals before an engaging blast of guitars and synth drop into a mellow verse. The intensity gradually increases with wild guitar bursts supporting Cherry’s vocals, before flowing into a typically engaging chorus. Almost spoken vocals give way to heavy guitars and big screamed vocals, before ending with a big chorus.
Shadowlight wraps up in style with its title track, which starts with the opening lines “I sat in shadowlight, Had to face the terror staring back at me, ‘Til I found comfort in the darkness.” Those lines repeat again and the track gathers pace with little bursts of guitar into the chorus “I sat in shadowlight, Had to face the terror staring back at me, Til I found comfort in the darkness, And it set me free, I’m taking back my life, Nothing can stop me becoming, Who I’m supposed to be, Now that I’ve finally accepted, All the parts of me.” The track concludes with a cool little acoustic section that epitomises the band’s willingness to mix things up and mix the dark with the light.
Step Into The Shadowlight
Defences have been described as “future alternative metal greats,” which we love, and it’s easy to see why on the basis of Shadowlight. It’s a classy album that very much delivers on Defences’ goal to hone a “more experimental and soulful, more personal and intimate” sound. They brilliantly fuse brutal metal goodness with catchy anthems, electronic elements and even gorgeous mellow moments, as portrayed in Inspirit. While Breathe It In is very much a personal favourite, along with the powerful Perish, The Curse and Ego(Maniac), this album offers little nuggets for everyone to dig their teeth into.
Talking further on the inspirations behind Shadowlight, Defences told us: “This shadowy reflection is often demonised and hidden away to fester. We see this with ‘Umbra Cerasus,’ the personification of the dark side of all the things about herself that Cherry used to bury. Through discovering self acceptance and the practice of Shadow Work, Cherry stopped needing to long for happiness, achieving it herself.
“We use this metaphor of a dark side to explain the parts of ourselves that we ignore and neglect while blindly yearning for things out of our grasp and control. For Cherry, it is a longing for absolution but for every person it’s different. The key is the process of beginning to accept yourself and where you are now, rather than waiting for your life to begin. There aren’t many who are where they wish they were, and it’s important to recognize this longing rather than bury it. By doing this, we become whole.”
You can see Defences launch Shadowlight at the album release show at London Camden Assembly tomorrow (Saturday, 9 November). They’re also playing Brighton Hammerdown Winter Militia at The Arch in Brighton on 7 December. And you can see them touring with Crushed By Waves next year, starting at Glashow’s Nice N Sleazy on 29 January, before playing at Zerox in Newcastle on 30 January, Lions Den in Manchester on 31 January, Billy Bootleggers in Nottingham on 1 February and Leeds Packhorse on 2 February. And they’ll be at Fuel in Cardiff on 1 March.
Shadowlight is out now on all platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music and physically on CD or LP. And you can follow Defences on Facebook, their Facebook fan group, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
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