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/
Onwards to the Wall
A Place to Bury Strangers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Whether or not I mean too
My words all misconstrue
There′s nothing I can do
Try and try it's true to let a voice thats rare debut
Life will break in two cause I′m still in love with you
Now you say we're through
Without talking too
Tried and tried it's true
But there was nothing I could do
You will just be you and I′m not in love with you
The lyrics to A Place to Bury Strangers’ song "Onwards to the Wall" explore the complexity of romantic relationships, especially when they come to an end. The opening lines reveal an internal struggle, as the singer acknowledges that they are not always nice to their partner, despite their best intentions. They feel as though their words are constantly misunderstood, causing frustration that they cannot seem to overcome. The singer then shifts their focus to their efforts to communicate more effectively, hoping to let their true voice be heard. However, they come to the realization that their attempts are futile, and their relationship is falling apart.
The chorus reveals the depth of the singer’s emotions, as they admit that their life feels broken in two without their partner. Despite the pain they feel, they acknowledge that the relationship has run its course, and their partner has moved on without discussion. The singer expresses their disappointment that there was nothing they could do to change the outcome, and that their partner will simply “just be you.” The song’s title, “Onwards to the Wall,” could be interpreted as a metaphor for the inevitable wall that relationships often run into and the choice one must make to stay pressing forward or to give up.
Line by Line Meaning
Never as nice you
You have never been kind
Whether or not I mean too
I may or may not intend to be unkind
My words all misconstrue
Everything I say gets interpreted in a negative way
There's nothing I can do
I'm powerless to change how you perceive my words
Try and try it's true to let a voice that's rare debut
I've attempted to speak my mind, but it's not easy for me
Life will break in two cause I'm still in love with you
My life feels destroyed since I still love you
Now you say we're through
You've ended our relationship
Without talking too
You didn't communicate the reason for ending things
If there was something I could do to have you see my point of view
I wish there was a way for you to understand my perspective
Tried and tried it's true
Despite my efforts, nothing changed
But there was nothing I could do
I was helpless to change the outcome
You will just be you and I'm not in love with you
You will remain who you are, but I am no longer in love with you
Writer(s): Oliver Edward Ackerman
Contributed by Jacob C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.