The newly formed project of Claire Brentnall and Richard Knox; Shield Patterns has always shown a sophistication beyond its age, with first single 'The Rule' (Gizeh) gathering attention for it's blend of minimalism, fragility and warmth.

After retiring to the wilderness and isolation of the North Wales countryside to record their debut album, the duo returned with a new single and UK Tour in March 2014, its teaser video implying a much darker, richer soundworld..... like falling – slowly, gracefully, and not without hope, but still falling; a white shape in the darkness tumbling downwards.

Shield Patterns started life in late 2012 with Brentnall working alone on a bunch of home recorded demos. A chance meeting with Knox at her first ever solo show was enough to form an interest in working together in some capacity. Just a few months later and the duo were performing live together whilst also working on the beginnings of new material that would finally form the debut album.

There's a resolutely unique sound to the music Shield Patterns make. For the most part the melodies are infectious but there's an undertone of detail that can only be discovered on repeated listens. The duo have painstakingly layered and arranged vocals, beats and various other sounds throughout the songs - something new to hear at each encounter.

In September 2013 debut single 'The Rule' was released on Knox's own Gizeh label - backed by remixes from Thom alt-J and Thinnen. New single 'Dust Hung Heavy' is released on February 24th with the debut album set to drop later in June.

Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.