Formed in 2007 by University of Salford and school friends Jonathan Higgs (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Jeremy Pritchard (bass, vocals), Michael Spearman (drums) and original guitarist Alex Niven, they released their debut single Suffragette Suffragette in 2008, followed by Photoshop Handsome and MY KZ, UR BF, all accompanied by their own self-made videos. In 2009 Niven left and was replaced by ex-Operahouse guitarist Alex Robertshaw.
The band went on to be nominated for the BBC Sound of 2010, and subsequently released their Mercury Prize nominated debut album Man Alive on August 30th, 2010 on Geffen UK. This was accompanied by re-released singles MY KZ, UR BF and Photoshop Handsome as well as Schoolin' and Final Form.
After a year of touring including two successful orchestral concerts at which the entirety of Man Alive was played, the band are back in 2012 with new single Cough Cough, receiving extensive airplay and debuting at #37 in the charts. The second single Kemosabe will be released in the new year, followed by the second album Arc, to be released on RCA Victor on January 14th, 2013.
The Stuart Price produced Distant Past was released in February 2015, as an advance of their third album 'Get To Heaven' (15th June 2015).
Tin
Everything Everything Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Enormous and evolved.
A predatory mass, in the dark I am unseen
Me dripping oil from my tail and
My eyes are through the fumes
Yellow as the arc of imagined L.E.D's.
I leave a path in the snow little
I devour the smoke that erupts from all exhaust.
I make a dash for the median
There's a banshee searing past
And everything is light
And it's noise and I reach the grass.
My eyes are wide and my teeth dropping
Straight out of my skull
They clatter on the road anatomically displayed.
I am as lithe as a vine as I
Whisper up the verge
And I am almost up to the shoulders of a horse.
Little Sea Anemone, pool of rocks
Why'd you see, an enemy I cannot?
Could there be, a more heavenly artifact?
As pure as that?
I sleep a while in the dark of a
Warehouse by the sea
I am now as giant as the sun I used to love.
My limbs are shoots springing forth I am
Impossible and black,
And I can feel the gravity rushing into me.
I feel a pull on my fur and a
A hundred tiny hands
I can feel the men and the women clamber on.
They will embrace me tonight as a
A father and a son,
And I will carry homo-sapiens through the night.
I can not imagine the things they did to you.
I cannot imagine the way it feels for you.
I can feel the gravity rushing into me.
I am but a hole in the fabric of the scene.
I was but a drop in the ocean all along.
The lyrics of Everything Everything's "Tin" invite the listener to project themselves into an imaginary universe where they can embody a creature that seems to be a fox but could also be some sort of hybrid, using vivid descriptions to paint an astounding picture of the animal's existence. The song opens with the creature stating that it is both enormous and evolved, ominous in the dark, unseen and dripping oil from its tail. The eyes of the creature are yellow, piercing through fumes and resembling imagined LED arcs. From this opening imagery, it becomes clear that the creature is both powerful and otherworldly.
As the lyrics continue, we realize that the creature is not a solitary fox but a manifestation of something more significant. "I devour the smoke that erupts from all exhaust," the creature boasts, positioning itself as a threat to everything that creates pollution. It also seems to be incredibly fast, "making a dash for the median" and passing cars as if they were standing still. Suddenly, the creature is in the grass, and it describes its state, with its eyes wide and its teeth dropping out, anatomically displayed. Yet, it is as graceful as a vine and whispering up by the shoulders of a horse. This description is unsettling, a paradox that seems to be the point.
The last part of the lyrics reveals the most surprising aspect of the song. The creature turns out to be a giant that can sleep inside a warehouse by the sea. It feels as if the gravity is rushing into it and becomes a conduit for humans, carrying them through the night. The final words express humility, with the creature recognizing that it was insignificant, "a drop in the ocean all along."
Line by Line Meaning
I'll be the fox by the road I am
I am a large, evolved predator lurking in the shadows, dripping oil and with yellow eyes like flashing L.E.D.'s.
I leave a path in the snow little Rainbow diesel paws
I consume the emissions from cars and leave behind colorful footprints in the snow.
My eyes are wide and my teeth dropping Straight out of my skull
I am a shape-shifter, with teeth and eyes falling out of my skull as I morph into different forms.
Little Sea Anemone, pool of rocks Why'd you see, an enemy I cannot? Could there be, a more heavenly artifact? As pure as that?
I am in awe of the beauty of the natural world, questioning why there must be enemies in such a beautiful place.
I sleep a while in the dark of a Warehouse by the sea
I rest in a dark place near the ocean, growing larger and more powerful.
My limbs are shoots springing forth I am Impossible and black, And I can feel the gravity rushing into me.
I am transforming into an impossible, black, and powerful entity, as gravity pulls me into the earth.
I can feel the men and the women clamber on.
I am a vessel for humans to embrace and ride, connecting us in a paternal bond.
I can not imagine the things they did to you. I cannot imagine the way it feels for you.
I acknowledge that others have different experiences and emotions than myself, and that empathy and understanding are important.
I am but a hole in the fabric of the scene. I was but a drop in the ocean all along.
I am a small part of a larger picture, and recognize my place in the universe.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ALEXANDER KAINES ROBERTSHAW, JEREMY JOSEPH PRITCHARD, JONATHAN JOSEPH HIGGS, MICHAEL DAVID SPEARMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind