Song Premiere: Luke LeBlanc, “Defeated”
The exceptional Minnesota singer-songwriter shares a song off his upcoming album, Places. Hear it first here!
Luke LeBlanc’s “Defeated” single artwork. Photo by Ian Dow.
Luke LeBlanc has the kind of voice that breaks your heart and heals it at the same time. It’s perfect for the emotional territory he traverses in his music: His deceptively easygoing Americana sound carries within it the triumphs and trials of the human heart, from empathy and devotion to isolation and estrangement. His voice, like his lyrics, is wise beyond his years, confident in its vulnerability, unhurried in examining facets of lived experience, not in an attempt to find pat answers but rather to shine a light on their complexity.
On his fifth studio album, which comes out tomorrow (October 27), the prolific young Minnesota artist presents his most thematically cohesive collection of songs yet. Places builds on and hones concepts that LeBlanc has explored in his earlier works, seeking an understanding of people’s physical and mental journey in space and time and how it affects them. “The ‘places’ that we go through in life, whether through our own volition or due to circumstances beyond our control, take us from one phase to the next one,” LeBlanc says.
There’s no better example of that than “Defeated,” which we’re honored to premiere exclusively today. The song elaborates on a theme LeBlanc touched on in “Down Low,” a standout track from his 2022 album Fugue State: surrendering to the low points of life, when losing is the only clear path, when failure stares you in the face.
While “Down Low” focused on that visceral feeling — lingering almost lovingly on feelings of despair and hopelessness and the oddly freeing sensation of hitting rock bottom — “Defeated” goes deeper, delving into what it means to willingly do so, and why it’s sometimes a better path than fighting or denial. “Maybe I wanna be defeated / Take all my worry and leave it / Take a loss, I will receive it.”
Luke LeBlanc. Photo credit: Sarah Bel Kloetzke.
“‘Defeated’ gets to the heart of what Places as an album is all about,” LeBlanc says. “It’s the idea of embracing defeat, not as a way of giving up, but in a way that demonstrates that the quickest and often healthiest way to get through a hardship is to let yourself feel those feelings without distraction. I've noticed that when I accept whatever emotional place I’m in and keep moving, I can more swiftly transition to a stage of reflection and maybe find out the reason life is making me take a pitstop at this ‘place.’”
It’s a potentially heavy concept, but there’s a lightness that rounds out the melancholy, thanks to LeBlanc’s laid-back but sincere vocals and trademark country-folk blend, enhanced here by sweetly rendered pedal steel and saxophone lines. The track and the album as a whole mark yet another level of maturity and sophistication in this singer-songwriter’s art. As he explores movement and growth in his lyrics, it’s a pleasure to observe his musical evolution with each new release.
Listen to “Defeated” now!
Luke LeBlanc will celebrate the release of Places on December 15 at Icehouse in Minneapolis! The music starts at 8pm with Saint Paul-based Americana singer-songwriter Thomas Sticha opening.
Places Album Credits
Real Phonic Records
Produced, Recorded, and Mixed by Erik Koskinen
Mastered by Tom Garneau
Luke LeBlanc - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Harmonica
John Cleve Richardson - Piano, Vocals, Dobro
Caz Falen - Bass, Upright Bass, Vocals
Erik Koskinen - Electric Guitar
Kora Melia - Violin
Eric Heywood - Pedal Steel, Electric Guitar
Lars-Erik Larson - Drums
Casey Frensz - Saxophone, Trumpet
All songs written by Luke LeBlanc
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Carol Roth. Photo credit: Dan Lee.
Carol Roth is the primary writer, social media manager, podcast producer and event-calendar updater for Adventures in Americana. By day she’s a marketing writer/brand strategist. In addition to playing guitar and songwriting, she writes self-proclaimed “trashy” novels under the pseudonym T.A. Berkeley.
