Art School Girlfriend is an atmospheric electronic project from musician an… Read Full Bio ↴Art School Girlfriend is an atmospheric electronic project from musician and singer/songwriter Polly Mackey. After spending the early 2010s as part of textural shoegaze outfit Deaf Club, Mackey transitioned to a more synth-friendly approach with her solo work, finding her voice on several EPs and miscellaneous releases, and honing her ambient pop sound on her full-length albums Is It Light Where You Are and Soft Landing.

Hailing from Wrexham, North Wales, Mackey developed a taste for the work of artists like PJ Harvey and the Jesus & Mary Chain, as well as various new wave and shoegaze acts. After playing in various bands, including Deaf Club, she relocated to London where she lived for five years before settling in Margate, Kent. There she began writing her own songs -- inspired by her own experiences as well as the written works of Virginia Woolf and Milan Kundera -- and began listening to more electronic music from artists like John Maus and Caribou. Opting for the moniker "Art School Girlfriend," her songs caught the attention of Grammy Award-winning producer Paul Epworth (Florence + the Machine, Adele) and she signed with his label, Wolf Tone Records, in 2017. Her debut EP, Measures, followed later that year and Mackey promoted the release with live performances around the U.K. in 2018. A second EP, Into the Blue Hour, was released in 2018, and various remixes and standalone tracks followed over the next two years. The first Art School Girlfriend album, Is It Light Where You Are, came out on Wolf Tone Records in September of 2021, and was accompanied by companion piece Is It Dark Where You Are, a collection of remixes including work from Baltra, Jessica Winter, Blankson, and others, released in 2022. Sophomore album Soft Landing was released in August of 2023, created with the help of co-producer Riley MacIntyre and British songwriter Marika Hackman.

Outside
Art School Girlfriend Lyrics

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I see you outside
Soaking wet
You pass the light
From blue to red
The ceiling's so high
But I'm not there yet
Working out what
You're trying to say

I'm into the blue hour
This fill in space surrounding me
Making my minds loud
I wanna feel new now
You're keeping your eyes off of me
Letting the light out

I make my way out
It's getting so late
You don't make a sound
I need you to say
Im OK without this
Push me away
I wanna fill lightness out
Before I stay

I'm into the blue hour
This fill in space surrounding me
Making my minds loud
I wanna feel new now
You're keeping your eyes off of me
Letting the light out

Keep me kissing
In the blue hour
Keep me kissing
In the blue hour
Keep me kissing
In the blue hour

Keep me kissing
In the blue hour

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Art School Girlfriend's song "Outside" paint a vivid picture of a rainy night and a person standing outside, perhaps waiting for someone or pondering their thoughts. The singer sees this person outside and describes them as "soaking wet," passing the light from blue to red. The lyrics then shift to the singer's own thoughts and feelings, with the line "The ceiling's so high, but I'm not there yet" suggesting a feeling of being stuck or not fully realized. The singer is trying to make sense of what the person outside is trying to say, while also grappling with their own complicated emotions.

The chorus repeats the phrase "I'm into the blue hour," which refers to the time of day just after sunset when the sky is a deep shade of blue. This time of day is often associated with introspection and contemplation, which fits the mood of the song. The singer describes the "fill in space" surrounding them and their mind being "loud," indicating a sense of overwhelm or heightened awareness.

The later verses continue to explore the singer's emotions, describing a desire to feel new and to "fill lightness out" before staying. The repeated phrase "Keep me kissing" may suggest a desire for physical intimacy or human connection. Overall, the lyrics present a vivid snapshot of a particular moment in time and the complex emotions that can accompany it.

Line by Line Meaning

I see you outside
I spot you standing outside

Soaking wet
Drenched due to rain, shower or emotion

You pass the light from blue to red
The traffic signal changes from blue to red via your movement

The ceiling's so high, but I'm not there yet
I've barely climbed the ladder of success; there's a long way to go

Working out what you're trying to say
Figuring out your message, decoding your expressions

I'm into the blue hour
Favor the gloomy and indigo time of the day

This fill in space surrounding me
The emptiness around me envelopes me from all sides

Making my minds loud
The mind chatter becomes loud in the eerie silence

I wanna feel new now
Need to break free from the rut and feel refreshed

You're keeping your eyes off of me
You are averting your gaze away from me

Letting the light out
Allowing the natural light to seep in