Aesthetic Perfection was formerly signed directly to Metropolis Records in the United States and Out of Line Records in Europe, until Graves decided to run it on his independent label Close to Human Records. Additionally, the band was licensed to Gravitator Records in Russia and Death Watch Asia in Japan.
The band's third album, All Beauty Destroyed, was released on November 4, 2011, in Europe and November 8, 2011, in the United States.
On March 29, 2019, Aesthetic Perfection released its sixth album, Into the Black. Unlike previous albums which were released by labels, Into the Black was self-released. According to Graves, this was an intentional move towards running the band free of label intervention, due to a belief that the label industry model was "dying".
Band members
Daniel Graves - vocals, keyboards, programming (2000–present)
Joe Letz - live drums (US, 2018–present)
Constance Antoinette Day - live keyboards, guitars, bass (2021–present)
One And Only
Aesthetic Perfection Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Back to the one who's calling out to me,
She ties a tourniquet around my neck,
Cold embrace but warm caress,
My home was never so sweet.
And I will swallow,
Each pill she gives it helps to ease the pain,
Been away for far too long,
Return the dirt to the weeds.
Though I'm down,
Down,
Down,
It picks her up,
Up,
Up,
I want it now,
Now,
Now,
I'm out of luck,
Luck,
Luck.
What have you done to comfort me?
What have you done but make me bleed?
You've come so close to burying me,
My one and only,
My emptiness.
My eyes are open,
But she won't let me go so easily,
I cannot trust the words that come from my mouth,
Enemy from the inside out,
I'll learn to love my defeat.
I let you hold me down,
Let you restrain me,
I sink into the ground,
It overtakes me,
I've lost what you have found,
You slowly change me,
I will remove my crown,
Let you invade me.
The lyrics of "One and Only" by Aesthetic Perfection describe a complicated and tumultuous relationship with someone who has a hold on the singer's heart. The opening lines, "My heart is shifting, / Back to the one who's calling out to me," indicate that the singer has tried to move on from this person, but is being drawn back to them. The imagery of the tourniquet around the neck suggests that this relationship has a dark and potentially dangerous side, yet the singer is drawn to it regardless.
The lyrics also touch on themes of addiction and dependency. The lines "And I will swallow, / Each pill she gives it helps to ease the pain," suggest that the singer is willing to do whatever it takes to keep this person in their life, even if it means sacrificing their own well-being. The lines "She'll take a piece of me and eat it raw," indicate a sense of being consumed or devoured by this person.
The chorus, with its repetition of "down" and "up," seems to indicate the conflicting emotions the singer feels about this relationship. They are "out of luck" because they cannot seem to escape this person's hold, but at the same time they "want it now," suggesting a strong desire to be with them.
Overall, the lyrics of "One and Only" paint a picture of a complicated, fraught relationship that has a hold on the singer's heart and mind.
Line by Line Meaning
My heart is shifting,
My emotions are changing
Back to the one who's calling out to me,
Back to the one I'm attracted to
She ties a tourniquet around my neck,
She controls me tightly
Cold embrace but warm caress,
Her touch may be cold but comforting
My home was never so sweet.
I never felt so much love before
And I will swallow,
I will accept what she gives me
Each pill she gives it helps to ease the pain,
Whatever she gives me helps me forget the pain
She'll take a piece of me and eat it raw,
She'll take my heart and soul without second thought
Been away for far too long,
I've been away from her for a long time
Return the dirt to the weeds.
Give back what's not needed
Though I'm down,
Even though I'm feeling low
Down,
Down
Down,
Down
It picks her up,
She's always lifted by these situations
Up,
Up
Up,
Up
I want it now,
I crave it desperately
Now,
Now
Now,
Now
I'm out of luck,
I don't have any other hopes
Luck,
Luck
Luck.
Luck
What have you done to comfort me?
You gave me nothing to comfort me
What have you done but make me bleed?
All you did was hurt me
You've come so close to burying me,
You almost destroyed me mentally
My one and only,
The only person who can do any damage to me
My emptiness.
My loneliness and despair
My eyes are open,
I can see reality clearly
But she won't let me go so easily,
I can't leave her easily even if I want to
I cannot trust the words that come from my mouth,
I know I'm lying to myself
Enemy from the inside out,
I'm torn between what's good for me and what I crave the most
I'll learn to love my defeat.
I'm slowly accepting my defeat
I let you hold me down,
I allowed you to control me
Let you restrain me,
I gave you the power to limit me
I sink into the ground,
I feel helpless and hopeless
It overtakes me,
The feeling of being defeated takes over
I've lost what you have found,
I'm losing what you discovered together
You slowly change me,
You're changing me gradually
I will remove my crown,
I'll give up what I held dear till now
Let you invade me.
I'll let you take over me completely
Contributed by Andrew S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.