Vancouver, Canada-based metalcore band 2 Shadows have shared their debut EP, Bring The Cold Inside along with the video for their lead track, a cover of Green Day’s “Boulevard Of Broken Dreams,” featuring Ryan Hayes of Righteous Vendetta on guest vocals.
The band—Glen Bridden (vocals), Tryst Germaine (guitarist), Braidyn Michaels (guitarist), and Josh Lauzé (drummer)—have been together since 2015 and have worked to steadily hone their craft through continuous touring, drawing inspiration from iconic acts like Slipknot and Rammstein along with contemporary influences like Motionless In White, Asking Alexandria, and Avenged Sevenfold.
Their new EP channels the strife and chaos of existence into art, acting as a metaphorical lighthouse guiding listeners to a better, healthier future. 2 Shadows also just completed their U.S. tour opening for The Veer Union, with another round of dates scheduled for this summer.
New Noise caught up with 2 Shadows lead singer Glen Bridden to chat more about the new album, going back on tour, and what the future has in store:
Hello! To start, with the busy year 2 Shadows have had so far, how are you all feeling? How is 2022 treating you?
Hey! We’re really enjoying being back out on the road and releasing new music. It’s been super cathartic to go out and see people after spending so long with everything under wraps.
I can imagine. And you just released your debut EP, Bring The Cold Inside. How does it feel to have that out in the world?
It’s the best ever! For us, there’s a lot of profound stuff in there so it’s really great letting it out into the world and sharing it with our fans.
While you’ve released a handful of singles in the past, what was it like working on this first EP/collection of tracks? What was that collaborative process like within the band compared to your work on individual tracks?
When we released the first songs we got to go into the studio, work out the song and then release it. Then we had the opportunity to see the reaction before going back to do the next one. All of the songs were demoed far in advance, but having the ability to adjust parts of the songs allowed us to dial them in to a level that really blew us away!
The EP thematically looks at the strife of existence, which I know a lot of listeners can relate to today, along with the need to look for the positive and forge ahead. Can you tell me a little more about what inspired the project and how it manifests in the track list?
Each of the tracks are inspired by some real life event that either someone in the band, or someone they knew, went through. The act of creating each song was a way for us to vent the strong emotions associated with the different experiences but we added a little element of fictitious storytelling to give a sort of “take away” or “moral of the story” for each experience. At the core of this band our goal is to help people through tough times and to shine a light towards the end of the tunnel.
I’m also curious if you can tell me a little more about the musical elements of the EP. How does the sound of Bring The Cold Inside compare to your other releases, from your perspective?
It’s a complete reinvention of our sound in my opinion. We have had plenty of old songs and demos that we’ve jammed tirelessly and upgraded time and time again but for this release we started with a clean slate and wrote some brand new stuff. I think that you can hear a new found maturity in our sound. A huge part of that was thanks to Crispin Earl being in the producer seat, he challenged us to take these songs farther and even co-wrote with us. We couldn’t be happier with how they turned out!
That’s great! And what has the reception been like so far from listeners?
The reception has been incredible! We have had some many amazing interactions with fans and seeing people rocking out in the crowds at our shows has been the best feeling ever.
2 Shadows also just completed a U.S. tour opening for The Veer Union, and more dates are coming this summer. How does it feel to be back on the road to perform the new EP?
Tour was absolutely awesome! Being able to play these new songs for a live audience every single day is literally a dream come true. We hope to be out on the road playing new cities and meeting new fans as much as we physically can.
I know the live show is also a really crucial aspect for 2 Shadows, acting as a visual representation of the tracks. Do you have anything special in the works to represent Bring The Cold Inside on tour?
We constantly have ideas and projects in the works for our live shows. As opportunities arise for us to add things to our live show we do our best to explore that but in a way that keeps each show tailor made for each venue in each city. We love to shake things up and be as spontaneous as we can.
Does 2 Shadows have anything else in the works for the rest of the year and beyond you’d like to share?
We have some things in the works that I’d love to share, but since I don’t make the rules we have to stay tuned until they’re good and ready for the world.
Totally fair! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
I’d like to thank everyone who’s checked out Bring The Cold Inside and huge thanks to New Noise Magazine for having me!
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Find and stream Bring The Cold Inside here, Watch the video for “Boulevard Of Broken Dreams” below:
For more from 2 Shadows, find them on Facebook, Instagram, and their official website.
Photo courtesy of 2 Shadows
