Winter is upon us. Eggnog is now acceptable to drink, Bing Crosby's songs are radio hits again, and malls are invaded with families and bushy-bearded Santas. All the while, fresh music is still coming out. Have no fear though; focus on what gifts to buy and how you're going to handle your dysfunctional family this holiday season. Stereo IQ will bring you the top lyrics from the best beat thumping, bone chilling, heartbreaking, and hand-clapping songs released this week.
5) "Cherry can be very sweet when she needs a friend, but it's only a mask that she wears so she can pretend / And I can't keep Running all of the time, no I can't keep running all of the time."- Chromatics, "Cherry"
The Chromatics hit a razor thin note of luscious sweetness and absolute resolution. Cherry is playfully personified as the alter ego of a girl who keeps trying, maybe for all the wrong reasons, maybe in all the wrong ways, but she keeps trying. It could be the repetition of "all of the time", it could be the poppy synth in the back, or it could be her foggy vocals, but Chromatics have created a pop song worthy of its 80's influence. It's hard enough with dance undertones, soft enough with shoegaze elements, and sad enough to be called a great winter song.
4) "My sisters are wackjobs, I wish I had none / Their husbands are losers and so are their sons / My nephew's a horrible wise little twit / He once gave me a nice gift wrapped box full of shit." - Dropkick Murphys, "The Season's Upon Us"
No abstraction, no cryptic lyricism, no colorful imagery. Dropkick Murphys get right to the heart of the holidays: Family, and all the Arrested Development-levels of dysfunction that comes with them. Their cockney punk is perfect for summarizing why some of us loathe family gatherings -- wackjobs, losers, and horrible little twit children who are no better than the lousy everyone gives each other. Happy holidays!
3) "It always ends the in same way, the sun gets in your eyes / I wont be surprised if next time, If this blue ice came out of the blue." - Shout Out Louds, "Blue Ice"
The Shout Out Louds are back and they are making the quietest entrance of their career. Following the new wave sleekness of their last album, Work, "Blue Ice" follows suit, while subduing itself into the freezing arctic of a relationship's end. Our speaker is not surprised of his counterpart's constant surprise; constant revelation that things aren't working out. For him, it wasn't an iceberg that came out of nowhere; it was a glacier, slowly heading for disaster. It's both bitterly ironic and completely serious - this blue ice, right out of the blue.
2) "The gaudy malls of our new vocation / The heady words, no inspiration / Hide in pools, mirrored stars/ Compound days will tear you apart / The lost souls in hot desolation / Want to get lost in a conversation" - Gold & Youth, "City of Quartz"
The new Canadian outfit Gold & Youth is pulling no punches. Their first single takes aim at modern metropolitan life, specifically Los Angeles -- the plasticity of the city, the prop-like settings, the hollow jobs, and the constant stimulation and the emptiness of a soulless life. If Bret Easton Elli's novels could be turned into a song, Gold & Youth have done it.
1) "To live a life that's true / The world we live is only what we were born into / No matter what the money men have said to you / You are the only god." - WU LYF, "T R I U M P H"
The same day the boys of Manchester released this song, their lead singer released a statement starting with the following: "By the time I wrote this I was all ready gone. You know you aint got nothing but time, but time isn't an infinite currency I want to see wasted." It was a breakup letter. And even though I wasn't exactly the person being broken up with, it still hurt (middle school prom flashbacks came flooding back to me).
One can only hope this news is more drama based than reality based. However, the farewell letter matches up perfectly with the song. "T R I U M P H" takes an honest and surprisingly upbeat approach to staking one's place in the world, living your own life, and not letting others tell you what to do or who to be. This is about following your heart's desire, holding your head up high, shouting incoherently, and raising your fists in true WU LYF fashion.
Check out our explanations for the lyrics of the week on Stereo IQ:
Wu Lyf - T R I U M P H Lyrics
Gold & Youth - City Of Quartz Lyrics
Shout Out Louds - Blue Ice Lyrics
Dropkick Murphys - The Season's Upon Us Lyrics
Chromatics - Cherry Lyrics