Following an 11-year recording hiatus, The Autumn Defense returns on October 10, 2025, with a brand new and long overdue collection, Here and Nowhere, on Yep Roc Records.  The Autumn Defense is the creative outlet for the sonorous pairing of Patrick Sansone and John Stirratt.

Stirratt, a multi-instrumentalist and founding member of of the band Wilco, and Sansone, an in demand producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and member of the group since 2004; have composed, recorded, and compiled, a welcome collection of new music.

Far from a side project, the results of the duo’s collaborations has resulted in several satisfying musical excursions and six studio records since 1999.

Recorded in Nashville between October 2022 and February 2025, the pair have certainly been busy with other artistic exploits. Despite the long gap between recording projects, the time between allowed for Stirratt and Sansone to collect musical fuel to fire their thoughtful compositional development and melodic partnership.

Here and Nowhere’s 10 tracks (and one digital bonus cut) are composed by the two principals, alternating leads and spotlighting their collaborations. In a world of shortened attention spans, quick clips, and truncated communication, their new record patiently weaves its way along warm coastal roads, admires artful design, and paints musical pastels across an increasingly darkened landscape.

There is a creative effortless that can be discerned in the songs, as they come into a Polaroid focus. Right from the opening track Sansone and Stirratt’s ability to tap into and craft a pure form of pop perfection is cause for celebrating this new release.

Disparate elements of Stirratt and Sansone’s deep satchel of influences adorn the record; ranging from the implied aesthetic of David Crosby and Graham Nash’s mid 1970’s band “The Jitters,” the sonic glow of a T-Rex guitar, or the melodic acumen of Eric Carmen and Harry Nilsson.

The group incorporates a wide spectrum of sonic shading and coloring outside of the lines with power pop pretense, melodic multitudes, and florid Kodachrome layers of orchestration. A pinch of psych deckles the edges of the arrangements while a light country lean percolates just below the surface.

The duo has matured into so much more than just a Wilco off-shoot and in some way have surpassed their main vocation. Like many of the their previous album openers such as, “Silence,” “Canyon Arrow,” and “Back of My Mind,” there is a thematic arc that is established and weaves its way through the entire collective of songs.

Here and Nowhere’s debut single and opener, “The Ones,” plays the part with a delicate central riff in which everything orbits. The harmonies both pensive and hopeful. The song is cracked open for an extended outro that stirs together breathy flutes, stellar Sansone guitars, and keyboards into a disorienting froth.

Each of the record’s ten tracks is diverse in its respective arrangement and every one spotlights some clandestine twist, moody melody, or reveal a sonic hook that takes you to a place you hoped you would go.

“I’ll Take You Out of Your Mind,” is a proper follow up to the opener, and features punchy pop verses, a robust chorus, and is highlighted by dual guitar lines and cowbell.

Sansone’s varied production methods are far reaching and fearless through his deft use of orchestral accents and array of instrumental addendums like harmoniums, flutes, cellos, and vibes. On the piano ballad “Old Hearts,” both a French horn and Flugelhorn rise from the palpitations of the able rhythm section comprised of Greg Wieczorek and drums and James Haggerty on bass.  

The same attention to detailing goes for Stirratt’s “Wintershore,” which is the quintessential Autumn Defense song to these ears. Stirratt’s delicate recitation elicits a deep emotional response that recalls the vocal elegance of the Band’s Rick Danko. The song’s descending piano line glistens throughout and is echoed by swells of icy orchestration.

“Wintershore,” is followed by the funky piano stylings of the shifty and syncopated “In the Beginning,” and then the strident “Hearts Arrive,” that shimmers with stratified guitars and tightly packed harmonies. Sansone’s guitar solo sings with the same hopefulness found inside the song’s chorus. These three foundational tracks construct a musical core for the record that is as wonderful as anything the duo has recorded previously.

The sneaky folk elements and darkened pulses of “Underneath the Rollers,” and “More Than I Can Say,” focus on Stirratt’s plaintive vocals, the duo’s wistful harmonies, and attentive acoustic based grooves. I can hear these tracks really shining on the live stage.

 The folk-rock resplendence of “Love Lives,” swings into the album closer of “Ever Flowing Light.” A tune described as having “chamber-pop” elements by Stirratt, it acts as the perfect musical conclusion. An accumulation of the records intent, it’s got a little bit of everything including an airy good time sway.

On the compact disc and digital versions of the record an extra song, “Raven of the Wood,” can be found. A high tempo and country styled kicker, take note of Stirratt’s hillside strumming and Sansone’s taught “B-Bender,” Telecaster licks.

An album like Here and Nowhere doesn’t happen without fantastic songs and a modicum of collaborative selflessness. Patrick Sansone and John Stirratt have been at it long enough to know what it takes to serve a song. The result being a record that sounds as well crafted, patient, and as proud as the relationship from which the music was born.