Defects today release their brand new album Artificial Icons via Mascot Records, and to celebrate, they also reveal the lyric video for the vitriolic ‘Critic.’
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One of the most crushingly heavy songs on the album, it takes on the haters.  “This came from seeing someone slate the band online, telling people not to check out our music. I was pissed,” says vocalist Tony Maue. “The anger is obvious, but writing it out felt like a release. It’s raw, confrontational, and honest.”
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The album release comes hot on the heels of a triumphant UK tour with Allegaeon and GOROD, and ‘Critic’ is the latest single taken from a record that fizzes with anger, frustration, and the instinct to survive. These songs aren’t just stories; they confront addiction, unstable circumstances, failing systems, and fractured relationships.
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Artificial Icons, produced by Jim Pinder (Sleep Token, Bring Me the Horizon), is Defects darker, sharper, and more honest than ever.  They deliver a volatile mix: crushing riffs, thunderous breakdowns, and soaring choruses. Surging between savage screams and anthemic vocals, pushing and pulling between chaos and clarity. Beneath the heaviness lies a raw core.
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One of the album’s standout moments is the dystopian single ‘Signs’ featuring Matt Heafy, which places the listener in a war-torn setting. “I want to write songs that matter. To make people think,” he affirms. People are dying. This needs to be addressed. It’s about searching for meaning and finding a place to belong. There’s frustration, but also determination, even when the world feels like it’s crumbling. I’m so excited that this one features Matt.”
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The singles they have already dropped from the album grapple with emotions and the world around us: the socio-political ‘Artificial Icons’; the confrontation with blind faith and false hope on ‘Heresy ‘; and the inward-looking ‘All For Nothing’.  ‘Where Did I Go Wrong’ captures a deep sense of helplessness, reflecting on difficult periods, unexpected support, and the way personal struggles can ultimately pull people apart.
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Their touring might has been flexed which has seen them play shows with Trivium, Northlane, Of Mice and Men, Orbit Culture, Funeral for a Friend, Bullet For My Valentine and In Flames. as well as hit the festivals hard over the last couple of years: Download, Slam Dunk, 2000 Trees, Bloodstock (UK), Mystic (Poland), Rock Im Park, Rock Am Ring, Rock im Park Impericon, Rockharz, Summer Breeze (Germany), Rock For People (Czechia), Jera On Air (Netherlands), Resurrection (Spain), Rock the Lakes (Switzerland), Graspop, and Parkpop (Belgium).Artificial Icons goes deeper than before, tethering itself to profound life experiences. Grief and trauma don’t vanish overnight; they twist and evolve, indifferent to who you are or what you face. Still, you push forward—because you have to
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Defects are: Tony Maue (vocals), James Threadwell (guitar), Rowan Jack (drums) and Orlando Morris-Winmill (guitar).