Defences: Hanging In The Balance

Life cannot exist without equilibrium. In their second self-released album, Hertfordshire alt metal collective DEFENCES find a way to restore it within themselves and the world around them.

Speaking from a carvery in Birmingham during their tour supporting OUR HOLLOW, OUR HOME, vocalist Cherry Duesbury and guitarist Calum Wilmot tell all with sincerity. Regarding this release to be their most honest to date, as well as their most painful, In The Balance is a clear turning point for DEFENCES as songwriters and musicians.

Duesbury lets on, “there are three pillars of the album: time, truth, and life.” These three symbols can be seen portrayed on the album cover, which Wilmot goes on to explain. “What inspired the artwork was a mantra we had, which was the driving force, the backbone and the heart. The driving force being time, the backbone being the scales or and then the heart is the heart of the band.” All of these elements are integral to the human existence, which is what the album narrates through Duesbury’s experience.

Soaring through highs of having a loving fanbase and finding joy during a pandemic, to the lows of mental health struggles and police brutality, the lyrics found within each song become a self-proclaimed time capsule of the last two years. She continues, “in certain songs, I remember thinking ‘should I actually make the songs about this?’ or ‘should I actually say this?’. It was really liberating actually. I think I’ve definitely turned a corner. I’m less afraid to just open up lyrically and musically, and not hold myself back in any way. I think something that we’re seeing a lot more in music now across the board is that artists are just being more fundamentally themselves and I think it’s a really good thing.”

One of the most poignant songs of all, particularly coming from a band fronted by a person of colour, is False Gods. Written in July 2020 following the murder of George Floyd and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, Duesbury questions why we treat fellow human beings so poorly but also creates an uplifting tone of solidarity in the aftermath. “One thing that I noticed is that so many conversations started happening that just weren’t happening before. And I thought this is really good, we need to be having more of this, this has to continue. The only way that things are ever going to really change is if this is always a conversation. I’m personally very proud of the lyrics that I wrote for that one.”

Wilmot adds to this, stating, “I think a lot of people got mired in blame and pointing fingers and focused on the despair of the state of things. Whereas what I found interesting coming from Cherry was that she expressed all the frustration and anger in the screamed lyrics, but rather than wallowing in it, she started talking about how we can grow from it and how we can be better. I thought it was a very positive take on the whole episode which I found very inspiring.” The shared energy between the pair as band members shows just how DEFENCES are able to create such cohesive music and why Duesbury feels able to share such personal lyrics with the others.

The first track which she penned with total, unmasked honestly was Blue Candour, which is a synonym for sad truth. Telling of her mental health issues, the brutal lyrics hit hard especially when paired with the crushing instrumentation. It’s a prime example of this trust within the band where her emotive lyrics and vocals are both amplified and inspired by her counterparts. “That’s one of the heavier songs – if not the heaviest – on the album and that breakdown for example, it just has that feeling behind it of despair. I leaned into that with where I went with it lyrically,” she says. Admitting earnestly that this was one of the very few tracks she was anxious about releasing, her authenticity shines through as she’s yet another songwriter more deserving than they realise.

When discussing another stand out track, Ocean Floor, Wilmot once again comes to sing Duesbury’s praises as some of his favourite lyrics. The song, which is rather existential as it looks into the aspect of how one can live their life knowing it must come to an end. Duesbury divulges that she suffers with not being able to feel connected or present in day-to-day life, and this song is a reminder that she can’t replay this moment like a movie. This concept is matched with the most experimental instrumentation on the whole record as euphoric synth surrounds her words. Wilmot notes that, as their second full-length album, they are simply too old to not write the music they want to. He jokes, “in the past we’ve probably been guilty of being quite academic in how we write and we stopped doing that and basically just said if it makes you want to go and play around the country in a van then that’s what we’re gonna do.”

In The Balance encapsulates growth from every possible angle for DEFENCES. From writing what they want to and saying what they need to, this record is the definition of artistic progress.

In The Balance is out now via self-release.

Like DEFENCES on Facebook.