Reverb-drenched and bittersweet, Alvvays members Molly Rankin and Kerri MacLellan were childhood friends, who began playing music with Alec O'Hanley while in high school. Lead vocalist Molly Rankin is the daughter of John Morris Rankin from the popular Canadian folk family group the Rankin Family. Molly Rankin released a solo EP titled "She EP" in 2010 and then in 2011 formed Alvvays with MacLellan, O'Hanley, and new members Brian Murphy and Phil MacIsaac.
Following tours with The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Peter Bjorn and John, the group recorded a full-length album, Alvvays, which was released by Royal Mountain Records (Canada), Polyvinyl Records (US), and Transgressive Records (Europe) in July 2014. Chad VanGaalen, John Agnello, and Graham Walsh of Holy Fuck all contributed to the album's production. Simon Vozick-Levinson, writing in Rolling Stone, called the eponymous album an "indie-pop wonder". Alvvays went to #1 on US college charts on August 5, 2014.
Your Type
Alvvays Lyrics
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Then dissolve into the night
Ditch your friends on a whim
Later, resurface in a fight
Kill the buzz with your decrees and conspiracy theories
I die on the inside every time
You will never be alright
Gambling with your working visa
You've got something to prove
Take a photo of the Mona Lisa
Get thrown out of the Louvre
And with vomit on your feet
Clamouring bon appetit
I die on the inside every time
You will never be alright
I will never be your type
I will never be your type
Knew that I would never be your type
Knew that I would never be your type
Hop that fence if you'd like to
Then dissolve into the night
All depends how it strikes you
Without reason, without rhyme
Let me state delicately, you're an O and I'm AB
I die on the inside every time
You will never be alright
I will never be your type
I will never be your type
I will never be your type
The lyrics of Alvvays's song "Your Type" display a narrative of a tumultuous relationship between two people who are vastly different. The verses illustrate a sense of recklessness and unpredictability within the singer’s partner, showing that they are unafraid to take risks and disregard societal norms. The first verse suggests that the partner is impulsive and prone to conflict, easily sabotaging the moods of the group. The chorus denotes the singer's distress in the relationship, emphasizing the emotional distress and potentially never-ending cycle of the relationship. The song's final verse refers to the singer and how the two will never see eye to eye, with the "O" and "AB" probably informing the different blood types, signifying a fundamental difference between the two.
One potential interpretation of the song is that it highlights the strain and harm that can come from two people unable to reconcile their differences. The partner's impulsivity is self-destructive in the later verses, leading to them being thrown out of a French museum, and the chorus shows the singer realizing they will never be able to change that aspect of their partner. The song speaks to how people can often be drawn to different lifestyles, even if they aren't compatible. The song's opening lines, "hop that fence if you wanna then dissolve into the night," could be a metaphor for the partner's fleeting and unpredictable lifestyle. Ultimately, the chorus ends with repetition of the line, "I will never be your type," further cementing the mismatch between the couple.
Line by Line Meaning
Hop that fence if you wanna
If you want to do something daring and adventurous, go ahead and do it without holding back.
Then dissolve into the night
Disappear without a trace once you have accomplished what you wanted to do.
Ditch your friends on a whim
Abandon your friends suddenly and impulsively to pursue your own interests.
Later, resurface in a fight
Come back after causing trouble and create more problems for others.
Kill the buzz with your decrees and conspiracy theories
Ruining the fun and positive vibe with your negative opinions and ideas that lack evidence and credibility.
I die on the inside every time
It emotionally hurts me to realize that we are not compatible and that we do not share the same worldview.
You will never be alright
You are constantly searching for something that you will never find, and this makes you feel incomplete and restless.
I will never be your type
We are just too different and have nothing in common to start a relationship or a friendship.
Gambling with your working visa
Taking risks with your job and legal status in a foreign country.
You've got something to prove
Feeling the need to demonstrate your worth and abilities to others.
Take a photo of the Mona Lisa
Doing something that everyone else has done before as a way of feeling included or fitting in with the crowd.
Get thrown out of the Louvre
Being kicked out of a prestigious place because of your disruptive behavior or lack of respect for the rules.
And with vomit on your feet
Being so careless and reckless that you end up physically sick and dirty.
Clamouring bon appetit
Indulging in food and drink without regard for the consequences or the opinions of others.
Knew that I would never be your type
Realizing early on that we are too different and that our paths will never cross.
Let me state delicately, you're an O and I'm AB
Using blood types as a metaphor for how incompatible we are, and how we cannot coexist without causing harm to each other.
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING
Written by: Alec Fraser O'Hanley, Molly Margaret Rankin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind