A Place to Bury Strangers was formed in 2002 by David Goffan and Tim Gregorio. Current frontman and guitarist Oliver Ackermann had moved to Brooklyn, New York, United States, following the disbanding of his previous group, Skywave to join the group and become the primary songwriter after the departure of Goffan. They played their first show at Luxx in Brooklyn in 2003. Jay Space and Jono Mofo, both from the New York City-based band MOFO, joined the band when Tim Gregorio left. In 2006, APTBS handmade three different untitled EPs with different color schemes; these later become known as the Red, Blue and Green EPs.
In 2006, the band gained some acclaim following its Webster Hall performance with The Brian Jonestown Massacre. The band returned to Webster Hall in 2007 to play with one of their major influences, The Jesus and Mary Chain.
Throughout these formative years, the band's live shows became increasingly chaotic which earned them the title of New York City's "loudest band" from various indie reviewers and bloggers, as well as "the most ear-shatteringly loud garage/shoegaze band you'll ever hear" by The Washington Post. The New York Times applauded their revival of "the ominous, feedback-drenched drones of the 1980s".
In early 2009, APTBS signed to Mute Records. The band also announced another European tour and appearances at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Seaport Music Festival, Rock al Parque and Siren Music Festival. Their second album, Exploding Head, was released in October 2009. In early spring 2010, it was discovered that Jono MOFO had decided to leave the band for personal reasons (after recently getting married) rather than tour with the band during their US tour supporting The Big Pink. He was replaced for that spring tour by Dion Lunadon, formerly of the bands The D4 and The True Lovers.
On February 14, 2011, Ackermann stated that the band had begun working on their third full-length album. On January 10, 2012 A Place to Bury Strangers release the iPhone shot all Hipstamatic video for the first single So Far Away of the forthcoming Onwards to the Wall EP. On February 12, 2012, the band announced that Robi Gonzalez was taking over drumming duties for A Place to Bury Strangers. They also thanked former drummer, Jay Space, for his contribution to the band. On May 2, 2012, it was confirmed that the third album of the band, , was scheduled to be released on June 11 in the UK and Europe, and on June 26, 2012 in the US via Dead Oceans label. The band announced plans to support the release with a full North American tour in October 2012.
It was announced in early March 2013, that the band had recorded covers of songs from the Portland band, Dead Moon. They plan to release these covers on Record Store Day 2013 as an EP titled Strange Moon. In March 2013, the band began recording their 4th studio album. They recorded for several days at ABC Studios in Etne, Norway with Emil Nikolaisen of Serena Maneesh. Then, in May, APTBS released a 7" via Sweet Mistakes Productions, free with the Fractal Press Magazine, issue #135. The band also sold them without the magazine during their live shows. In late November, Ackermann and Lunadon had an interview with Drowned in Sound and said that there will likely be a tour following the 4th LP's release.
The band's fifth album, "Pinned", was released in 2018. The band also replaced Robi Gonzalez with drummer and singer Lia Simone Braswell.
In 2021, John Fedowitz (also a former member of Skywave)& his wife Sandra Fedowitz, both from Ceremony East Coast, replaced the rhythm section once again. Hologram EP was released July 16, 2021.
http://www.aplacetoburystrangers.com/
Never Going Down
A Place to Bury Strangers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
30 seconds till we smash into the ground
Passengers, have lost their smiles
Soon their bodies will be wreckage spread for miles
I'm in the shit, knee-deep in it
I know that this might hurt a bit
I leave my debts but no regrets
Except I wish I took the train
There's not a chance of going down
But then we just might, so this is it, this is goodbye
And I feel like I'm gonna lose my mind
I'm in the shit, knee-deep in it
I know that this might hurt a bit
I leave my debts but no regrets
Except I wish I took the train
But I'm going nowhere
Everybody has their day, never thought it would be this way
And I really don't care
I'm in the shit, knee-deep in it
I know that this might hurt a bit
I leave my debts but no regrets
Except I wish I took the train
We're going down, we're out of sky
It sure helps if you can see the funny side
So this is over and out, this is goodbye
And I'm feeling like I'm gonna lose my mind
I try to reach her, but she's not there
But back home I hope she knows how much I care
I ease the seat back and start to pray
To the same God that puts bombs in cargo bays
The song "Never Going Down" by A Place to Bury Strangers presents a bleak and despairing perspective on life, using the metaphor of a plane crash to convey a sense of imminent doom and loss of control. The lyrics describe the moments leading up to an inevitable disaster, with the singer resigned to their fate and accepting of their own mortality. The references to passengers losing their smiles and bodies becoming wreckage spread for miles paint a vivid picture of the horror of a crash, while the line "I leave my debts but no regrets" highlights the idea that life is lived in pursuit of material wealth rather than meaningful experiences or relationships. The repeated refrain of "I'm in the shit, knee-deep in it" emphasizes the sense of being trapped in a hopeless situation, with no escape or redemption possible.
The imagery of the song draws on the genre of apocalyptic literature, which often portrays the end of the world as a cathartic or transformative event. In this sense, the impending crash can be seen as a metaphor for the breakdown of societal structures or personal relationships, with the singer using their own imminent demise as a means of gaining perspective on their life. The reference to religious belief in the final line, with the singer praying to the same God that puts bombs in cargo bays, adds a layer of moral ambiguity to the song's message, suggesting that even in the face of death there is no clear sense of right or wrong.
Line by Line Meaning
Suck it up, going down
We're facing a terrible situation, but we have to deal with it.
30 seconds till we smash into the ground
We're about to die, and there's not much time left.
Passengers, have lost their smiles
Everyone is afraid and unhappy.
Soon their bodies will be wreckage spread for miles
The victims will be strewn across the debris field.
I'm in the shit, knee-deep in it
I'm in a very bad situation that is very difficult to escape from.
I know that this might hurt a bit
I'm aware that the consequences of this situation will be serious.
I leave my debts but no regrets
I have done everything I could, and I'm not sorry for anything.
Except I wish I took the train
In retrospect, I think I made the wrong decision.
Another day, another flight
I'm used to traveling constantly.
There's not a chance of going down
I usually don't worry about plane crashes.
But then we just might, so this is it, this is goodbye
However, this time it looks like we might not survive the flight.
And I feel like I'm gonna lose my mind
I'm panicking and can't think straight.
But I'm going nowhere
I'm stuck in a plane that's about to crash, and there's nothing I can do.
Everybody has their day, never thought it would be this way
Everyone eventually faces death, but I never imagined it would happen this way.
And I really don't care
At this point, I'm resigned to my fate.
We're going down, we're out of sky
The plane is crashing down towards the ground.
It sure helps if you can see the funny side
Making jokes or trying to find humor in this situation can help alleviate anxiety or fear.
So this is over and out, this is goodbye
This is the end; we won't be able to survive the crash.
I try to reach her, but she's not there
I'm trying to contact someone I care about, but they're not responding.
But back home I hope she knows how much I care
I'm thinking about someone I care about, and want them to know how much they mean to me.
I ease the seat back and start to pray
I'm trying to find a way to cope with the situation by turning to religion.
To the same God that puts bombs in cargo bays
However, I also recognize that sometimes terrible events like this are caused by people's actions or decisions.
Writer(s): Oliver Ackermann
Contributed by Julia V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.