For Pat Grossi of Active Child, the last two years have been nothing short of enriching. Musically, Pat has worked within and appropriated a number of styles into his sound, from his early days singing with that heavenly voice as a choir boy to his more recent forays into laptop-assisted indie-pop made in his bedroom, best exemplified on 2010’s acclaimed Curtis Lane EP. His sound is so wide-ranging that he has found himself touring with many notable acts of differing genres, including dubstep producer James Blake, dreamy synth-pop of School of Seven Bells, and the indie-rock bands White Lies and White Rabbits.
Nothing quite prepares you for the leap that Pat has taken with his debut album, You Are All I See, out on August 23rd via Vagrant records. Recently, he has expanded his sonic ambitions and turned the studio into an instrument for a record that sounds cosmically huge and yet intimate all the same.
Of the album title, Pat himself says, “You Are All I See is an attempt to build a bridge between the listener and I, in that, I wrote these songs for you as much as I did for me. And right now when you are listening to my voice, by yourself, it really is just you and I.” In attempting to craft songs that meant something not only to himself but that could be meaningful to others as well, he found himself working with some universally human and fragile themes. “The songs focus primarily on the joy and heartbreak of relationships, love lost and rediscovered, battles with monogamy, battles with identity,” Pat says. “It came out much darker than I had intended, but sometimes you only have so much control.”
The grand, cinematic scope of Pat’s artistic vision is apparent on You Are All I See, which owes as much to his wide array of influences as it does to Pat’s own knack for employing these influences in fresh, forward-thinking ways. With triumphant synths and shimmering, contrapuntal harp lines, songs like the title track and “Hanging On” are reminiscent of Radiohead’s “Motion Picture Soundtrack,” but improve upon that template with layered vocals not far removed from Bon Iver or even James Blake, who Active Child recently opened for on tour. “High Priestess” and “See Thru Eyes” are stunning forays into electronic music territory, littered with samples, drum machines, and keyboards that propel the songs forward while simultaneously seeming weightless and suspended. It is in this tension that You Are All I See lives, breathes, and thrives so magnificently. The album is indebted to the sounds of the 1980s, from New Order’s drums-and-synths to danceable hip-hop beats, and it’s all topped off with soaring r&b melodies. The album’s first single, “Playing House,” features guest vocals from Tom Krell, the crooner of lo-fi r&b project How To Dress Well. Pitchfork Media recently premiered the track, noting “Active Child’s sound now seems positively ahead of its time.”
Reflecting on the album’s finished product, Pat says “I think more than anything, I see this debut release as a bridge towards something bigger and truer. Something I can look back on and think, ‘damn, you really did it’.” When you finally hear You Are All I See you’ll think the very same thing.
I’m in Your Church at Night
Active Child Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Past the sarcophagi laid down on the dirt floor
There we were holding hands
Singing thru the hole in the ceiling
Into the heavens
I'm in your church at night
Singing, hallelujah at the top of my lungs
Stars were shining and so were our souls
But now its just memory burnt in my brain
The power that we felt that night will never be explained
I'm in your church at night
Singing, hallelujah at the top of my lungs
The lyrics of Active Child's song "I’m in Your Church at Night" carry a poetic and introspective tone. The first lines paint an image of sneaking into a church from a side door and passing by the sarcophagi lying on the dirt floor. It sets a tone of secrecy and intimacy in a space that represents sanctity and divine presence. The next lines describe holding hands and singing through a hole in the ceiling, as if the boundaries of the physical space dissolve, and they are transcending into the heavens. This scene seems to capture a moment of deep emotional and spiritual connection between the two people in the church.
The chorus of the song repeats the line "I'm in your church at night, singing hallelujah at the top of my lungs." It captures the vulnerability of the singer, invoking a sense of being overwhelmed by the spiritual experience that they are having. The following lines describe the silence that followed as their voices rose in unison, and the shining stars mirroring the illumination of their own souls. The final lines convey a sense of longing and nostalgia as the power of that night became a memory that is now burnt into the singer's brain. The emotional energy that they felt in that moment is difficult to explain and understand, an experience that remains elusive.
Overall, "I'm in Your Church at Night" is a powerful song that captures both the emotional and spiritual experiences that we can have in sacred spaces.
Line by Line Meaning
Climb the fence and in thru the side door
I found a way in through an unusual route
Past the sarcophagi laid down on the dirt floor
I noticed the tombs placed on the ground
There we were holding hands
We stood together, connected by holding hands
Singing thru the hole in the ceiling
Our singing voice went up through an opening in the ceiling
Into the heavens
Our voices were reaching the skies above
I'm in your church at night
I'm inside your place of worship when the night falls
Singing, hallelujah at the top of my lungs
I'm singing a joyous song with all my might
No one spoke as our voices rose
We didn't converse as our voices went higher
Stars were shining and so were our souls
The sky was filled with stars and we felt whole
But now its just memory burnt in my brain
I still remember the experience vividly
The power that we felt that night will never be explained
We experienced an unexplainable feeling of strength
I'm in your church at night
I'm recalling that moment when I was inside your church at night
Singing, hallelujah at the top of my lungs
I'm reminiscing the song I sang joyously
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Patrick J Grossi
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
LewisCBR
This video is perfection, and about perfection. The creators should have received a million accolades, i love it.
Razz Movies 🎥
One of the GREAT Indi Songs of early 2000”s.
geofffio
Simply glorious. *sigh* So beautiful. It's my new favorite song. Thank you Active Child!
DANIEL GARCIA RODRIGUES LT
É uma obra-prima do espírito! Um antídoto à escassez de amor no mundo!
Sara Rose
This is what happens when the perfect mixture of alt rock and electronic goodness comes together to make a lovechild :B
SarMosEvents
божественно
Radiah Wilson
They were made for each other. Literally.😌
Teona
Wonderful music !
Zoe Dapore
This is so weird but absolutely enthralling.
adrumjunkie
Wonderful! Such a beautiful work of art.