Expatriate is a Sydney-based band consisting of Ben King (vocals, guitar), … Read Full Bio ↴Expatriate is a Sydney-based band consisting of Ben King (vocals, guitar), Chris Kollias (drums), Damian Press (keyboard, guitar, sound engineer) and Dave Molland (bass).

Expatriate derive their name from the collective experiences of their youth.

Front man Ben King grew up in the midst of Jakarta, behind the walls of a United Nations meets ‘Dazed and Confused’ international school - he was living the contradiction of isolation in a big city.

It was here King first cut his teeth on politics, watching the corrupt regime of Indonesian President Suharto from behind the utopian society of a school without nationalities, flags or borders. At lunchtime students traded cassette tapes, recipes and languages. Argentinean friends introduced him to The Cure. A student cover band introduced him to Nirvana at assembly.

It was a stark contrast when he returned to Australia at 15 to attend a traditional boarding school. King left behind friends and loves, later studying politics at Sydney University before pursuing music full time.

Drummer & percussionist Chris Kollias - also an expatriate in many ways - spent his formative years grappling with colliding cultures. The son of migrant parents, his early musical influences came from his father’s transistor radio. The sounds of the Greek Underground 'Rembetika' - a style of music which originated from the forced immigration of 2 million Greek refugees from Asia Minor - would sing out, while on the TV screen unfit athletes would hit a shiny red ball and VB beer advertisements would bring a smile to his face.

Years later Chris performed at Sydney’s Opera House and Entertainment Centre supporting the artists that seemed a world away on his father’s radio.

A change of scene and as fate would have it, Chris bumped into Ben at Sydney’s Annandale Hotel. It soon became clear that they share a similar experience - it wouldn’t take long for Ben’s songs to strike a chord with him and the band’s other founding member, Damian Press.

When it came time to put down the songs that had been floating around in Ben’s head it was Damian (guitar/keyboards/production) and Ginsberg Studios that he called upon.

With a background in sound design including Hollywood movie trailers, Damian has always had a love for the subtleties of sound. Constantly evolving his own sound as a musician and that of his studio as a producer, his sensibility to the atmosphere and ethereal space found in music was a quality that Ben welcomed with open arms.
It just so happened that Chris was sharing a house with Damian at the time and so Expatriate was formed.

They recorded their debut EP in Ginsberg, spending weeks mixing the tracks and creating the space that is their trademark. Entitled Lovers le Strange the five-track EP was released on October 31 2005. The first single, The Spaces Between spent six weeks on high rotation on Australian national broadcaster Triple J. Expatriate ended the year with a performance at the prestigious Homebake Festival in Sydney, pretty special for a band only one year old! At the close of 2005 the band had toured the nation three times and played to enthusiastic crowds who took their EP home to sleep in their stereos for the summer.

The year 2006 would see the band build on its blossoming start. The second single off their EP - Killer Kat - gained high rotation on Triple J. A sell-out national headline tour (their first) took place in February. A short trip overseas in March to London and Toronto piqued the attention of many international artists and critics – culminating
in Jim Kerr personally inviting the band to support Simple Minds (UK) on the Australian leg of their world tour that May.

June, July and August saw Expatriate in Seattle recording their debut album with John Goodmanson (Death Cab for Cutie, Blonde Redhead, Wu Tang Clan) at Robert Lang Studios. Upon their return, long time touring bassist Dave Molland (Bass) joined the band.

Dave’s connection with music has been a life long one. As a music teacher, he is forever practicing, performing or listening to music and his ability to collaborate with musicians coupled with his high spirited nature inevitably led him to Ginsberg Studios - soon after the Expatriate line up was complete.

Their debut full-lenth, In the Midst of This, was released in April 2007 and features earlier successes "Only Wanna Love Ya", "Play a Part","Crazy" and new single "The Spaces Between".

Blackbird
Expatriate Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Call me a thief of your heart
Call me anything that you want
I'm over the sentiment that was here
In this body of mine years ago

So give us the pieces, give us the part
Put it together make a new start
Come out of the corners, out of the dark

Light up a new one, light up a new spark

And I could be happy if I had a friend who loved all of me
All the way to the end, all the way from A to Z
When you're down and out as low as you can be

Let's go out tonight, put on something black
Go out for drinks, take it all back
We'll take it real slow, we'll do it with care
When you're rebuilding lives, you gotta start somewhere

Like a blackbird singing around your head tonight
When you're out late and you're walking around
Corners keeping you tight and passengers sleeping
High above your head on the aeroplane's journey
To the moon and back again

You play it so cool but something's withheld
When you're riding with me, you got nothing to tell
Can see it in your eyes, see it in your sweat
On the count of three, you can let go of it

And sometimes I sleep through it all
Sometimes I break through the wall
Then I wake up it starts again
The evil inside of my head

Like a blackbird singing around your head tonight
When you're out late and you're walking around
Corners keeping you tight and the passengers sleeping
High above your head on the aeroplane's journey
To the moon, to the moon and back again

Like a blackbird, oh like a blackbird
Oh like a blackbird, blackbird, blackbird

Overall Meaning

In "Blackbird," Expatriate addresses the aftermath of heartbreaks and depression as well as the transformative power of friendship and hope. The song's opening lines "Call me a thief of your heart/ Call me anything that you want" imply that the singer has been accused of breaking someone's heart or stealing their love. However, he no longer identifies with the person who caused that pain or embodies the emotions that led to it. He is, therefore, asking for a fresh start and an opportunity to rebuild his life. He implores the listener to "give us the pieces, give us the part" and "put it together make a new start" suggesting that the key to moving on is to take a step back from the hurt, gather the broken bits and pieces, and start afresh.

The second verse shifts the focus to the power of friendship and hope as transformative agents. The singer acknowledges that being down and out can feel incredibly lonely and that having a friend who loves and accepts you for who you are can be incredibly helpful. The singer's idea of a good time includes going out for drinks, putting on something black, and taking it real slow with care. The singer seems to believe that rebuilding lives requires a slow and steady approach, but it all begins with a first step, and every journey starts with the first few steps.

Line by Line Meaning

Call me a thief of your heart
Address me with whatever you will, even if it includes being labelled as the stealer of your heart

Call me anything that you want
Feel free to refer to me in any manner you choose

I'm over the sentiment that was here
I've moved on from the emotions I used to experience

In this body of mine years ago
Back when I inhabited this current physical form

So give us the pieces, give us the part
Provide us with any fragments or components necessary

Put it together make a new start
Reassemble and initiate a fresh beginning

Come out of the corners, out of the dark
Emerge from your hiding places and out of the shadows

Light up a new one, light up a new spark
Ignite a brand new flame of hope and possibility

And I could be happy if I had a friend who loved all of me
My contentment would be ensured if I possessed a companion who accepted and cherished every aspect of my personality

All the way to the end, all the way from A to Z
From beginning to end, every single aspect of myself

When you're down and out as low as you can be
When you're feeling powerless and dejected to the extreme

Let's go out tonight, put on something black
Let's head out this evening dressed in dark clothing

Go out for drinks, take it all back
Have a few beverages and forget about previous setbacks

We'll take it real slow, we'll do it with care
We'll proceed cautiously and attentively

When you're rebuilding lives, you gotta start somewhere
When you're in the process of rebuilding your existence, you have to initiate it somewhere

Like a blackbird singing around your head tonight
Similar to an avian, such as a blackbird, melodically singing in the vicinity of your noggin this evening

When you're out late and you're walking around
During the times when you're out late and strolling about

Corners keeping you tight and passengers sleeping
Tight corners constraining your movement and others in transit unaware of their surroundings

High above your head on the aeroplane's journey
In the airplane traveling at great heights above you

To the moon and back again
Traveling all the way to the moon and returning again

You play it so cool but something's withheld
You put up a facade of nonchalance, yet something is being held back

When you're riding with me, you got nothing to tell
When you're next to me, you seem like you don't have anything to discuss

Can see it in your eyes, see it in your sweat
I can perceive your inner feelings and emotions through your eyes and perspiration

On the count of three, you can let go of it
When I reach three, feel free to release and let go of those inner feelings

And sometimes I sleep through it all
Occasionally I slumber through every situation

Sometimes I break through the wall
At times I overcome obstacles and barriers

Then I wake up it starts again
Afterwards, upon awakening, everything recommences

The evil inside of my head
The unfavorable aspects within my own psyche

Like a blackbird singing around your head tonight
Much like a blackbird melodically singing in the vicinity of your head during this present evening

When you're out late and you're walking around
When spending time out late and strolling about

Corners keeping you tight and the passengers sleeping
The corners of the streets may constrain your movement and others in transit may be unaware of their surroundings

High above your head on the aeroplane's journey
In an airplane traveling at great heights above you

To the moon, to the moon and back again
Traveling to and from the moon

Like a blackbird, oh like a blackbird
Resembling an avian, such as a blackbird

Oh like a blackbird, blackbird, blackbird
Similar to a blackbird or blackbirds

Lyrics © Songtrust Ave
Written by: BENJAMIN KING, CHRIS KOLLIAS, DAMIAN PRESS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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