Four-piece British metalcore band Shields just dropped what we can expect to be another single off a future forthcoming album. I assume this since the previous track listed shares the same album art, but I have not heard any other news about it. The new track is titled “Red & Green” and evokes all kinds of raw emotion. They stand as a group defined by resilience, a testament to their ability to persevere through life despite the difficult experiences they may encounter. This new single is living proof of how they engage with their fanbase and stay true to themselves in all of it.
Singer Joe Edwards discusses how this song is a result of his brother’s death and the space the loss left in his family’s structural identity. The overall song went through different thematic and layout changes, but the initial idea stood strong — they wanted to achieve an orchestra-like sound with nuance. I think it does just that, but think more heavy orchestra beats.
I love how heavy-hitting this song opens up with the beats and the lyrics. It’s soft and heavy at the same time, musically and subjectively. The line, “holding onto a memory just to feel myself,” is such a powerful sentence, especially with the overall message. We, as humans, want to be able to hold on to moments forever, but that’s not possible. Sometimes we get so lost in things that we lose our identity and don’t know where to go from there. Our identity is what makes each of us who we are. But when we become too dependent on something or someone to “define” us, the second we lose it, it’s almost like we never knew who we were to begin with.
Losing is hard; life is full of hard moments. It’s how we choose to build ourselves back up from the dark times that says a lot. This band is no stranger to loss. In 2018, they released their debut album, Life in Exile, cut short from the passing of their guitarist George Christie. It led to the band’s disbandment at the time. They remerged in 2023 with the release of a single, “Bury Me.” Since that split, they have come back. They invite fans to rejoin the band as they navigate this new evolution of sound that is more refined, stronger, and matured.
I’m sure we can expect amazing things from this group, and I cannot wait to see what else they bring to the table later this year. This new road is a journey, and if this new single is any indication of what’s to come, we can expect this band to be breaking boundaries on story telling. They’ve got stories to tell, so if you’re willing to hang out and listen, I think you’ll be blown away.
Watch the “Red & Green” music video here.
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