Brighton-based singer-songwriter and passionate worshipper Jess Debenham shares an anthem for freedom and faith with her latest ode to the man upstairs, "Infrastructure."
Jess Debenham's punchy vocals and emotive lyrics make each song worthwhile. For the last six years, she's been serving on worship and songwriting teams at her home church, Emmanuel. Her newest single, "Infrastructure," is Debenham's sophomore release that pulls listeners closer toward complete freedom and surrendering oneself to Jesus with gladness.
In her own words, Debenham describes the song as "spiritual deconstruction and reconstruction," praising God for restoring our faith and "setting us free from false beliefs." But "Infrastructure" isn't your average Christian worship song; Jess Debenham's captivating and spirited performance paired with the bright and groovy instrumentals make for quite an engaging experience.
Diving deeper into "Infrastructure," the song smoothly opens with airy drum arrangements and twinkling piano melodies alongside Jess Debenham's breathy and soft vocals. The atmosphere gradually builds as Debenham serenades us with lyrics that touch on God's ability to evict the heart's invader and spread the truth to every corner. As she reaches the hook, her energy is intoxicating; she showcases such pure and wholesome passion that's truly refreshing.
The song's hook basks in God's glory while thanking him for rebuilding Debenham's "Infrastructure." The glittering keys and plucky, pulsating synths round out the instrumentals to add an industrial pop vibe that helps us better understand Jess Debenham's sound and musical approach. As we reach the song's end, Debenham leaves us with enough faith and freedom to climb any mountain of adversity.
Treat your ears to the refreshing, powerful, and passionate stylings of Jess Debenham and her compelling new single, "Infrastructure," now available on all digital streaming platforms.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Jess Debenham. You've honestly moved us with your passionate and wholesome new single, "Infrastructure." What moments inspired you to write about God's ability to rebuild your "Infrastructure?"
Aw, thank you! I was inspired by my own journey of God uprooting lies and replacing them with the truth of who He was. I was believing lies about Him and, in turn, about myself that had taken deep root in my heart. That meant that there was a disconnect between what I knew in my mind about God and His character (as displayed in the Bible) and what my heart believed. “Infrastructure” was written just before God gave me a major revelation into my situation, which in turn brought me so much freedom. The song is a declaration that God is faithful to bring what He was doing in my heart to completion and prophesying all He was building in me. The big thing God was helping me with was that I struggled to receive His grace for myself for many years. The process of working through this and getting to the root behind why I saw God the way I did took time. It was gritty and tough. I remember around the time of writing this song, breaking down and being like, “God, what the heck!? This doesn’t seem fair. I am trying so hard to feel your grace. I want to know it so bad but I can’t. And that’s not even how you say it works. It’s down to you; that’s the point. I’m so tired. I’m so done.” There were many tears. It took people's discipline and helping to teach me what it even means and looks like to find the root behind lies. And in this time, honestly, I couldn’t even imagine what life would be like living in the freedom of knowing that God’s heart is gracious and full of unrelenting love towards me. It was something I desired, but I had no concept of what that would look like. There is so much more I could share, as you can probably tell! God has gently led me on such a journey to where I am today. Even as I talk about this now, I’m moved to even say I am free from that lie. I know that God loves me, and even when I fail and slip up, he doesn’t roll His eyes or become stand-offish, but He runs to me, is quick to forgive, and loves me all the same. Because it never was down to me, it always was and will be because of Him. Verse 1 and the pre-chorus of Infrastructure came from an image of how I felt mid-processing all of this. God had revealed where some lies were rooted, and I remember telling my friend: “It feels like someone has turned the light on, and you realize you’ve been living in a derelict, old house with boxes everywhere, floorboards ripped, holes, mold, a dripping ceiling. And now I’m like, ‘okay, what next!? I can’t get rid of this. I can’t fix this.’ And there are times I think it would be more comfortable to be in the dark again; I’d got used to the way things were. But I don’t really want that. I need God to move.” Turns out I had made an idol of people’s opinions of me. I never felt fully forgiven by God, but I realized that I wasn’t really asking God for forgiveness. I was desperate for people not to see me as flawed or lesser, so I was asking Him to make people forget my failures so they wouldn’t think less of me. And I put that onto God, hoping he wouldn’t think less of me either, rather than knowing he sees it all and loves me unconditionally. It’s a big testimony, a big story. This is still just some snippets. I am free. God has freed me. I know His forgiveness, and I know He loves me. “Infrastructure” came out of this time.
Did any artists or projects influence the sound of your production and instrumentals in "Infrastructure"? What vibe did you want to give the song's sound?
Kalley’s EP Faultines Vol. 1 was an influence in wanting to write songs of worship that had a similar vibe to her stuff, a bit edgier than a lot of what I’d been hearing out of that scene. I actually wrote “Infrastructure” to Sasha Sloan’s song “Lie.” I came across her song on YouTube, and I liked the vibe and sound, so I wrote “Infrastructure” to that song. When I sent “Infrastructure” over to my producer Luke Fellingham, her song was the reference track I sent for the vibe. Luke added some percussive sounds, and it really excited me because it subtly sounded like clanging from a worksite which was something I was then going to ask about incorporating! That’s one of the specific things I enjoy about Kalley’s EP, the use of sampled sounds - it’s cool!
Was it easy to throw yourself into your songwriting process and write such faithful, worshipping lyrics for "Infrastructure"? Is that a process you're familiar with?
Writing worship lyrics is definitely what I am familiar with. I love singing songs of worship to God, it’s what I do. Doing life with Him, there is always something to praise Him for. This song came quite easily. As explained, it was birthed out of me processing and singing where I was at. It wasn’t even written for anyone to hear. Larissa Matson also helped me strengthen lines and found the melody for the mid-section. With some songs, the process takes longer and takes more chiseling. But this was just one of those ones that just kind of poured out.
What impact do you want to leave on listeners with "Infrastructure?" What do you hope the song makes them realize or feel?
I hope this song will help anyone who feels trapped in that dark room like I felt to know that there is freedom for them. And I hope it encourages anyone who is already in this ‘construction’ process of tearing down lies and rebuilding with truth, helping them keep going and keep letting God work! As I shared from my experience, the process can take time, and one can become disheartened. I pray if that is you, you will know that God is faithful to complete what He begins. You will know deeper freedom. He loves you. He is bringing you into more life. Also, if that is you, here is a verse a friend gave me in the midst of the process. It really encouraged me. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17. I also pray God would reveal areas of people’s lives where they are caught in a lie. That as they listen, the Holy Spirit would reveal the truth to them, turn on the light, and begin uprooting the lies and replacing them with the truth. Remember: “It is for freedom Christ has set us free” Galatians 5:1.
What's next for you?
Ooo! Well, another single, more music videos, and more surprises! (Literally, they’ll be surprises for me as well as you!).
