With a cinematic sense of melancholy and a groove steeped in post-punk grit, Blindness & Light return with ‘Shards’, a brooding cut from their second album ‘I Dreamt I Had Insomnia’. Emerging from the rainy sprawl between Anglesey and Yorkshire, this fiercely independent collective once again defies the boundaries of traditional band dynamics in favour of something looser, more raw, and entirely their own.
The lineup reads like a blueprint for sonic alchemy- Colin M Potter’s smoky vocals and guitar riffs lead the charge, flanked by Helena Doughty’s arresting cornet work, Melisa Dopazo’s subterranean basslines, Glenn Welman’s visceral live drumming, and Helen Reynolds’ ghostly backing harmonies that rise and fall. Together, they construct a sound that flickers somewhere between the Velvet Underground’s minimalist edge and the atmospheric dread of early post-punk.
‘Shards’ plays like a love song unspooled in reverse- opening with a fragile sense of hope before descending into something twisted and bruised. There’s a hypnotic, slow-building tension, driven by a floor tom that feels like it’s counting down to collapse. By the time the track reaches its bruised conclusion, the listener is left in the emotional wreckage alongside the narrator, wondering if anything ever really existed in the first place.
It’s this emotional unravelling- framed in dusky horns and basslines that slink like cigarette smoke- that makes Blindness & Light’s music feel timeless and timely. There’s an honesty to this track, no doubt shaped by their decision to helm the production themselves after parting ways with their previous collaborator. That shift was pivotal, not just a sound change, but a reclaiming of artistic identity.
And while the band may eschew the spotlight, they’re not exactly unknown. With previous singles reaching the top of the European Indie Music Chart and ‘Shards’ getting spins in Tokyo’s indie bars (next to pints of local craft beer, no less), Blindness & Light are slowly but surely leaving their fingerprints across the globe.
For those drawn to music that aches with atmosphere, this is one to dive into. And yes- they’ve got merch, too. Moody music and good taste never go out of style.
As Colin M Potter puts it: “Songwriting is like base-jumping for [the] soul. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Neither would we.