Empathy Test released a double A-side single, Demons | Seeing Stars on September the 9th, 2016, which featured featured remixes by Sidewalks And Skeletons and MNYNMS, before embarking on a European tour on 16th September. Empathy Test recruited live drummer Christina Lopez and keyboard player Jacob Ferguson Lobo to accompanying Isaac on the tour. They continued to perform with Isaac until April 2017, when Jacob was replaced by Sam Winter-Quick. The band then released another single, By My Side with b-side Vampire Town and remixes by New Portals and Papertwin on February 17th, 2017. A third single, Bare My Soul was released 21st April, 2017, to coincide with a second European tour.
Empathy Test are currently crowd funding two debut albums plus a final single via PledgeMusic: http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/empathy-test-album/. They are slated for release on 17th November. The first album, Losing Touch, will feature all the original 2014 EP tracks plus Demons and two previously unreleased tracks, Siamese and Sleep. Safe From Harm will feature all the singles (minus Demons) plus new tracks Safe From Harm, All It Takes, Trampoline, Everything Will Work Out and Burroughs & Bukowski. The band previously stated that Safe From Harm, the album title track, would be the final single. However, it is now looking like the final single will be Everything Will Work Out.
Stop
Empathy Test Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Anything, anything to escape my mind.
And I can't go to sleep at night
Until I see the morning light.
There's no one in your arms again
And still we all have to pretend
We're fine.
Anything, anything to numb the pain you hide.
And I can't seem to calm my nerves
Moods don't swing they only swerve.
Now I'm a nervous wreck again
And still we all have to pretend
We're fine.
When all of my darkest thoughts
Roam through my head
And I'm lying for hours awake in my bed.
If you only knew what you're doing to me
Would you stop?
Or would you just carry on?
Everything, everything's twisted up and broken.
Anything, anything - tell me you were joking.
And I can't seem to look away
I die a thousand times a day.
Let's analyse it all again
Until we're ready to pretend
We're fine.
When all of my darkest thoughts
Roam through my head
And I'm lying for hours awake in my bed.
If you only knew what you're doing to me
Would you stop?
Or would you just carry on?
When all of my darkest thoughts
Roam through my head
And I'm lying for hours awake in my bed.
If you only knew what you're doing to me
Would you stop?
Or would you just carry on?
The lyrics of Empathy Test's song "Stop" deal with the feelings of overwhelming despair and anxiety that individuals face when dealing with emotional pain, insomnia, and the need to put up a facade of emotional wellness to the rest of the world. The song centers around the idea of feeling everything at once, and the need to escape from the racing thoughts that come with this feeling. The singer of the song is struggling to cope with the pain they are feeling and wishes that someone would understand what they are going through and help them. However, they acknowledge that putting on a brave face and pretending everything is okay is necessary for the sake of social conventions.
The lyrics use a lot of metaphors to convey different aspects of the singer's emotional state, like how everything is burning on the inside and how the world is twisted up and broken. The line "If you only knew what you're doing to me, would you stop?" suggests that someone is causing or contributing to the singer's pain, possibly a romantic partner, and they want them to understand the impact they are having.
Overall, the song captures the complex and often exhausting nature of emotional pain, struggling with dark thoughts, and the pressure to appear strong in front of others. The repeated refrain of "If you only knew what you're doing to me, would you stop? Or would you just carry on?" highlights the idea that sometimes, people around us might not realize the impact they have on our mental health until we express it to them.
Line by Line Meaning
Everything, everything all at the same time.
Feeling overwhelmed with too many thoughts and emotions to handle at once.
Anything, anything to escape my mind.
Seeking any form of distraction or relief from constantly racing thoughts.
And I can't go to sleep at night
Until I see the morning light.
Insomnia due to feeling unable to mentally rest until a new day begins.
There's no one in your arms again
And still we all have to pretend
We're fine.
Feeling alone and neglected while still feeling societal pressure to hide negative emotions.
Everything, everything's burning on the inside.
Internal suffering that feels like a constant, intense flame.
Anything, anything to numb the pain you hide.
Desperate desire to find any means of blocking out emotional pain.
And I can't seem to calm my nerves
Moods don't swing they only swerve.
Feeling unable to regulate emotions, which switch between extremes without warning.
Now I'm a nervous wreck again
And still we all have to pretend
We're fine.
Feeling anxious and restless while still feeling societal pressure to hide negative emotions.
When all of my darkest thoughts
Roam through my head
And I'm lying for hours awake in my bed.
Struggling with intrusive, negative thoughts that make it difficult to sleep or rest.
If you only knew what you're doing to me
Would you stop?
Or would you just carry on?
Questioning whether someone is aware of how their actions are causing emotional distress, and whether or not they would continue despite knowing the harm it causes.
Everything, everything's twisted up and broken.
Feeling like everything is distorted and damaged beyond repair.
Let's analyse it all again
Until we're ready to pretend
We're fine.
Overanalyzing past events and feelings until feeling ready to repress emotions and feign a certain demeanor.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Adam Relf, Isaac Howlett
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@OliverMarson
Can’t wait to play this one live!
@mela_nie14
Oh and I can't wait to hear it live <3 So fragile, so amazing!
@blackeyes144
I want to say how much I love this song but I feel like whatever I could say is just an understatement... Thank you for this song 🖤
@skyhawk747
I love the melancholic cries within the lead vocals...
@fabriceprenten4350
Maybe the best track of the new album
@frenz1x802
Brilliant work! This album is really great :)
@VelvetDreams4
When everything fails, at least you can say "at least I have music". Thank you so much for writing and producing this song.
@mollyazmr
your songs are literally amazing. I cant believe you have this low views!! this song is so emotional for me and my favorite
@BoojieBaker
Definitely my favourite new track from the album!
@Emma-ld7tl
I love the new album sooo much 😍 beautiful as always, hope there is a vinyl of it 😊