Bristol post-hardcore collective IMMERSE have dropped “Red Shade” today. Mixed and mastered by George Lever (Holding Absence, Loathe, Sleep Token), the dark and heavy track is as all-surrounding as you might expect. “Red Shade” follows a string of other singles that have come from the band so far in 2020, with no clarity given (yet) as to whether they’ll find their sonic home in a future album.
“Red Shade” is dark and threatening, with a paranoia-tainted melody that reflects the fruitless search for compassionate authenticity. The singing sections of the song act like searching tendrils out into the world, while the grounded verses dig down into the depths of disappointment.
Not content to stick to a predictable structure, “Red Shade” seeps into a thoughtful moment at the midway point which surrounds the listener in light melodies. Quickly darkening though, the apparent hatred hits like a heavy gut punch. A surprise paring back seems like a reminder to sink into vulnerability, and to “just hold on, hold on to you”, regardless of anything else.
IMMERSE’s guitarist Tim Brown reiterated the song’s meaning; saying that “Red Shade” is about how “people have become so consumed with themselves that they forget to look out for other people. The world is plagued by selfishness and too many of us choose to ignore basic human decency.”
Watch “Red Shade” below via YouTube.
