The would-be next album, "Dear Tommy" (2016), was scrapped, and was meant to be re-worked for a subsequent release, however the fate of album is unclear, as on August 10, 2021, Ruth Radelet, Adam Miller and Nat Walker announced the breaking up of Chromatics. Later that day the label, Italians Do It Better, and Johnny Jewel's representative, also confirmed the breakup. Their last album is "Closer to Grey" (2019), which has a companion album, "Faded Now" (2020).
The band originally hailed from Seattle and formed in 2002 as a quartet featuring vocalist Adam Miller, drummer Hannah Blilie, guitarist Devin Welch, and bassist Michelle Nolan. That lineup debuted in 2002 with a Calvin Johnson-produced 7" on Gold Standard Laboratories -- a split with Die Monitr Batss -- and followed with the similarly GSL-issued Chrome Rats vs Basement Ruts LP.
While Chrome Rats was critically hailed, Chromatics couldn't keep it together, and Miller was soon the only member in good standing (Blilie, Welch, and Nolan went on to form the similar-sounding Shoplifting). Unworried, Miller added guitar and drum programming to his vocal duties and tapped bassist Nat Sahlstrom for the 2003 GSL 7" Ice Hatchets. That was followed by the February 2004 full-length Plaster Hounds (which featured the percussion work of Get Hustle's Ron Avila), and a repositioning of the Chromatics axis to greater reflect its dub and no wave influences.
This lineup too dissolved and Adam Miller relocated Chromatics to Portland, teaming up with Glass Candy's Johnny Jewel, Ruth Radelet on lead vocals, and Nat Walker on percussion and saxophone. The new lineup of Chromatics had a more lo-fi electronic sound as opposed to the earlier dub and no-wave sounds.
I Want Your Love
Chromatics Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I arrived in a car
I was a boy
I was a girl
pyramid glass
scaraping the sky
see our reflection
cast no reflection
I want your love
when I came to this world
I arrived in a storm
alone in the rain
falling out from the clouds
voice on the radio
crying 96 tears
see our reflection
cast no reflection
I want your love
when I came to this world
from the inside
feeling the space
between death and life
between blocks of dreams
between walls of sleep
see our reflection
cast no reflection
I want your love
when I leave from this world
I will leave in a storm
I'll be a boy
I'll be a girl
Ill see thru glass
Ill scrape the sky
see my reflection
it's just a reflection
I want your love
The lyrics to Chromatics' song "I Want Your Love" are both haunting and surreal. The three verses each contain vivid imagery of birth, life, and death, but with a dreamlike quality that blurs the lines between reality and fantasy. The opening verse describes the arrival of a newborn, either a boy or a girl, in a car, but the reference to "pyramid glass scraping the sky" suggests a futuristic or otherworldly setting. The second verse switches to a stormy night and a lonely voice on the radio crying "96 tears," hinting at a deeper emotional pain. The final verse returns to the theme of birth but with a twist, as the singer anticipates their own death and returns to the mysterious "pyramid glass" to see their own reflection.
Overall, the repeated refrain of "I want your love" adds a layer of longing and desire to the lyrics, but it's unclear who or what the singer is addressing. Is it a plea to a lover, a higher power, or a symbol of something else entirely? The ambiguity of the song's meaning lends it an enigmatic quality that encourages multiple interpretations.
Line by Line Meaning
When I came to this world
Upon my arrival on this planet
I arrived in a car
I made my initial entrance in a vehicle
I was a boy
My gender was classified as male at birth
I was a girl
My gender was classified as female at birth
pyramid glass
A triangular structure made of glass
scraping the sky
Reaching great heights that touch the heavens
see our reflection
Observe the image of ourselves that is presented back to us
cast no reflection
Do not produce a visible image of oneself
I want your love
I desire to have a romantic and/or emotional connection with you
when I came to this world
Upon my initial arrival on this planet
I arrived in a storm
My first moments were tumultuous and chaotic
alone in the rain
I was by myself, experiencing the downfall of water from the sky
falling out from the clouds
Descending from a lofty place above
voice on the radio
A sound coming through a wireless transmission
crying 96 tears
Emotionally expressing an overwhelming amount of pain and anguish
when I leave from this world
Upon my eventual departure from this planet
I will leave in a storm
My final moments will be tumultuous and chaotic
I'll see thru glass
I will be able to perceive through a material, such as glass
I'll scrape the sky
I will ascend to immense heights, touching the heavens
see my reflection
Observe the image of myself that is presented back to me
it's just a reflection
The image seen is merely a representation of myself, not the real me
Contributed by Dylan F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
buzz11
Lyrics are amazing! 🔥 I can't explain it. You have to "Get It", yourself. That's how it works! 🔥
Ron Platzer
love this song! checking daily for new release updates - keep up the great work all at IDIB!
William
Discovered these more than a year ago. Listening your music every day since while drawing/painting. Love it all! Grazie!
Italians Do It Better Music
Perfect music for creating! xoxo
Omar Gonzalez
When I hear this song, well....it makes me feel oh so good!
Italians Do It Better Music
yes! us too xo
Sebastian Oliver
I love this song
hourslookingsideways
Liberated from the burden of gender, coming to life free of fixed form. Reminds me of the myth of the Sky Woman. Pyramid glass, is that The Louvre? I love how the beat kicks in at 4:20.
G T
Amazing song!!!
G T
Amazing song 😍💕👌