American indie rock band formed in New York in 1989 by members Stephen Imme… Read Full Bio ↴American indie rock band formed in New York in 1989 by members Stephen Immerwahr (vocal, bass), Chris Brokaw (drums) and John Engle (guitar). Codeine pioneered the slowcore and sadcore subgenres of indie rock, but with a more experimental attitude than other bands in the genre, such as Low, Idaho and Red House Painters. The band's original tone, marked by slow tempos, Immerwahr's nasal and apathetic vocals, and Engle's ringing Telecaster, did not evolve much during their career.

Codeine released their first album Frigid Stars on the German label Glitterhouse in 1990. The album was released on Sub Pop the following year.

Their second release, the Barely Real EP was issued in 1992. Immerwahr rejected several of the songs after the recording session. Some of these songs were re-recorded for the final album. The song w. is a solo performance on piano by David Grubbs (of Bastro, Squirrel Bait and Gastr del Sol). A somewhat different full-band version of the song appears on Codeine's next album, but titled Wird.

Brokaw left the band after the release of Barely Real to play full-time with his other band Come. He was replaced by Douglas Scharin of the band Rex.

Codeine's next and final release was the full-length album The White Birch, released in 1994. David Grubbs also participated on the album. After this release the band broke up. Stephen Immerwahr has since then been playing with the band Raymond, while Douglas Scharin continued in June of 44 and later HiM.

The band reformed in May 2012 for a Mogwai-curated ATP I'll Be Your Mirror in London. They played their final reunion show in July 2012 in New York.

New Year's
Codeine Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Bad to feel the way I am
Today's another day you do what you can
Feel so sad, so bad today
All our friends have gone away

Here in my castle lines crease my face
Take them away, take them far away
Feel so sad, so bad today

All our friends have gone away

Overall Meaning

In Codeine's song "New Year's," the singer expresses a feeling of sadness and loneliness. The first line, "Bad to feel the way I am," suggests that the singer is aware that their emotions may not be healthy or productive but cannot help the way they feel. The repetition of the phrase "Feel so sad, so bad today" reinforces the depth of the singer's despair. The line "Today's another day you do what you can" conveys a sense of resignation and acceptance that life must go on despite their emotional state.

The second stanza describes the physical manifestation of the singer's emotions. The phrase "Here in my castle lines crease my face" suggests that the singer is experiencing stress or strain that is causing wrinkles. They plead for someone to "Take them away, take them far away," implying that they want to escape their emotional distress. The final line, "All our friends have gone away," reinforces the singer's isolation and loneliness.

Overall, "New Year's" is a melancholic and introspective song that captures the experience of feeling trapped in one's emotions and the sadness that comes with the loss of companionship.

Line by Line Meaning

Bad to feel the way I am
I feel guilty for having these emotions.

Today's another day you do what you can
I'm trying to stay positive despite my sadness.

Feel so sad, so bad today
I'm overwhelmed by my emotions and feeling down.

All our friends have gone away
I feel lonely and miss the company of my friends.

Here in my castle lines crease my face
I'm feeling the weight of my worries on my face and in my thoughts, like the creases of a castle's walls.

Take them away, take them far away
I wish I could remove the source of my sadness and worries from my life.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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