The band entered the studio in the autumn of 2010 with Jimmy Robertson to record their debut album, and released the single ‘South Pacific’ in Jan 2011. This second release and first for their new label Kitsuné / Cooperative Music, was mixed by LEXXX. Around this time they toured the UK and Europe as special guests of Klaxons, The Big Pink, Mystery Jets, Good Shoes and also co-headlined a tour with Egyptian Hip Hop.
In June 2011 they released their debut album “Native to”, preceded by the single “The Greeks”. "The Greeks" was accompanied by a video directed by French directors Megaforce, which quickly went viral (almost 3,500,000 plays to date on YouTube, and over 10,000,000 on Chinese YouTube)[citation needed]. The video was critically praised and has won several awards (The Antville Music Video Awards 2011', UK Music Video Awards 2011', D&AD Yellow Pencil Award 2012', Artrocker Award).
After the release of "Native to" and of single "Lies", the band spent rest of 2011 and part of 2012 touring Europe, USA (with Crystal Fighters), Japan, South America and the Far East.
In January 2013, Is Tropical released an EP, titled "Flags", featuring artists Get People, Visions, Drugzndreamz, Goodbye Leopold and Owen Pratt.The band released their second album ‘I’m Leaving’ on 20 May 2013 on Kitsune / Pias. The album was produced by Luke Smith.
The first single taken from the album is "Dancing Anymore", accompanied by a video by previous collaborators Megaforce, which gained notoriety and was removed from YouTube within hours of its release due to its graphic depiction of imagined sexual acts between a young man and naked CG characters. The second single, 'Lover's Cave' was released on August 26. 2013. The video was directed by cult New York photographer Richard Kern.
The Greeks
Is Tropical Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You'll only get it if you give it away
You only get what you give away,
so throw your hate away.
The Greeks have got him
With their tales of lust and myths of grief
Lights from the big wheel
Casts shadows that dance around the fair
Time for consulting, whilst carouselling
The quiet before the storm
Now he's in trouble, we've all had trouble
But learned to keep it shut
[Chorus]
You only get what you give away
You'll only get it if you give it away
You only get what you give away,
so throw your hate away
The Greeks have got him
Now he's solemn and beat up pretty bad
Just like his brother
He will wear leather to thicken up his skin
He can't see colours, or hear like others
And has fallen into sin
Now it's all laughed at, the stage is past that
And filled with you and me
[2x Chorus]
You only get what you give away
You'll only get it if you give it away
You only get what you give away,
so throw your hate away
The lyrics of Is Tropical's song The Greeks tackle the theme of karma, emphasizing the idea that one can only receive what they give in life. The first verse mentions that if you want to receive love and positivity, you need to throw away your hate. The Greeks in this song represent the past, particularly the myths and tales of ancient Greece that still influence people today. The reference to the big wheel creates a feeling of being trapped in one's own illusions and the shadows only move in circles around it, suggesting that one can't escape their own limitations until they acknowledge them.
Line by Line Meaning
You only get what you give away
The things you receive in life are in direct correlation to what you put out into the world.
You'll only get it if you give it away
If you want to receive something, you must first give it away.
so throw your hate away.
Don't hold on to negative emotions, release them and move forward.
The Greeks have got him
He has been influenced by the stories and beliefs of Greek culture.
With their tales of lust and myths of grief
Greek culture is known for stories of love and passion as well as tales of sadness and loss.
Lights from the big wheel
The lights from a large amusement park ride.
Casts shadows that dance around the fair
The lights create moving shadows throughout the amusement park.
Time for consulting, whilst carouselling
Taking time to reflect while enjoying yourself.
The quiet before the storm
A period of calmness before something chaotic or disruptive happens.
Now he's in trouble, we've all had trouble
He is experiencing difficulty, which is something everyone goes through at some point in their life.
But learned to keep it shut
He has learned not to share his problems with others.
Now he's solemn and beat up pretty bad
He is now serious and has been emotionally hurt.
Just like his brother
His sibling has gone through a similar experience.
He will wear leather to thicken up his skin
He will build a tough exterior to protect himself from future hurt or criticism.
He can't see colours, or hear like others
He is different and does not experience the world in the same way as most people.
And has fallen into sin
He has made mistakes or acted immorally.
Now it's all laughed at, the stage is past that
His past experiences are now viewed humorously and he has moved past them.
And filled with you and me
His current life and experiences include all of us, as we all experience similar trials and joys in our lives.
Contributed by Charlie E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.