Kael and Heather married in 2005, and shortly thereafter moved to Irvine, CA, where they met John Williams, who was also in the area doing a PhD in comparative literature at UC Irvine. Heather was studying biology, and Kael was already hard at work creating music for film and TV projects. One afternoon in the fall of 2007, looking for a distraction from writing his dissertation, John suggested to Kael and Heather that they write some music together. Within three weeks they had written a few songs, and put them up online (on ye olde Myspace). The response from listeners was fast and overwhelming, so much so that they were motivated to continue writing and release a full album, Dynamo, in 2008. After playing some shows in southern California, the band won “Best Electronic Band” at the OC Music Awards, and was listed by the New York Post as a “new music must-have.” NPR called the band’s debut album “clever, intriguing . . . even beautiful.”
When John graduated and got a job at Yale, and Heather was accepted to medical school at UCLA, the band realized they’d either have to carry on via long-distance songwriting, or else end the band. With Dynamo doing so well, and many more songs still on their way, the band decided to try songwriting bi-coastally. John purchased some home-recording equipment to take with him to Connecticut, while Heather and Kael moved to Los Angeles, where Robot Repair built a beautiful studio space for Kael to work in. During the next three years, the band sent tracks back and forth online, video chatting, and emailing notes to write two more studio albums, New Medium (2010), and The Matter (2012). The band’s sound had matured by this point into something more powerful and intense. Alternately sparse and epic, harmonic and grinding, pensive and playful, FPF was clearly moving beyond their electro-pop beginnings.
By 2013, FPF’s music seemed to be circulating everywhere, with millions of plays on Spotify, LastFM, Hype Machine, and Pandora, and appearances on everything from ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” to MTV’s “The Real World,” NBCSports, and E! Then, just as the band was contemplating a fourth album Kael and Heather discovered that they were expecting a baby. Many fans wondered whether Faded Paper Figures would be able to maintain its songwriting work with so much going on. But very little seems to slow them down. If anything, the music now comes with even greater clarity and brilliance, and as a result, the band is now set to release their fourth studio album in August, 2014, titled “Relics.” This most recent album promises to be their most honest, sophisticated, and ambitious, spanning a vast musical and lyrical spectrum, from epic synth-pop anthems on questions of life and death, to quiet, intense meditations on the passage of time. The band seems to have fully mastered not only their signature sound (electronic beats, gorgeous guitar riffs, and beautiful harmonies), but accelerated full force into a brave new world of sitars, analog synths, and even more intense vocals. Whatever emotions and uncanny dreams those day jobs are creating, it seems to be paying off enormously in their musical lives.
SMALL TALK
Faded Paper Figures Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My finger prints a figure eight
We come around, we've seen this place
Before.
And climbing up the empire state
You hold my hand and hesitate
A camera shot, we've seen this place
We're welded in gridlock
We're watching the wall clock
All the literate small talk keeps us sane.
We work by the windows
Feels soft where the wind blows.
All the literate small talk keeps us sane.
In cubicles we simulate
A broken wall, a city state
We're lost in files, we've seen this place
Before.
A counterculture elevates
We cross it out, we can't erase
A sous rature, we've seen this place
Before.
The lyrics of Faded Paper Figures' song "Small Talk" evoke feelings of familiarity and monotony in everyday life. The first stanza begins with the metaphorical action of mapping out the interstate, representing a journey that has been taken before. Similarly, the finger prints on a figure eight denote a cycle or a repetition. The next lines bring up the image of climbing up the empire state, which also represents a well-trodden path. However, the hesitation shown by holding hands alludes to an anxiety that comes with the familiarity of the situation. The camera shot denotes a snapshot or a fleeting moment that cannot be held on to. The chorus is an ode to the small talk that people engage in routinely to while away the time. The small talk is literate, meaning that it has no impact on the grand scheme of things; it is simply there to fill the space.
The second half of the song deals with the mundanity of office life. The first stanza of the second half talks about cubicles, files, and broken walls that represent the disillusionment of working in the corporate world. The repetition of "we've seen this place before" further consolidates the theme of familiarity. The next line brings up the idea of counterculture, which is often presented as a way to break free from monotony. But the band members "cross it out" which means they do not want to cross the boundaries of what is deemed acceptable. Instead, they see this place as "sous rature," a French term that means under erasure, which signals the need for something new.
Line by Line Meaning
Mapping out the Interstate
Planning our course on the highway
My finger prints a figure eight
Making a repetitive pattern with my fingers
We come around, we've seen this place
Before.
Returning to a familiar location
And climbing up the empire state
Scaling the iconic building
You hold my hand and hesitate
Feeling uncertain but supported
A camera shot, we've seen this place
Before.
Being in a location recognizable from photos
We're welded in gridlock
Stuck in heavy traffic
We're watching the wall clock
Keeping track of time
All the literate small talk keeps us sane.
Engaging in intelligent conversation to maintain our mental health
We work by the windows
Occupying workspaces with views
Feels soft where the wind blows.
Enjoying the gentle breeze
All the literate small talk keeps us sane.
Using intellectual conversation as a coping mechanism
In cubicles we simulate
Imitating office settings
A broken wall, a city state
A damaged physical barrier in a city environment
We're lost in files, we've seen this place
Before.
Familiarity with an overwhelming amount of paperwork
A counterculture elevates
A subculture gains prominence
We cross it out, we can't erase
Rejecting the subculture but unable to eradicate it
A sous rature, we've seen this place
Before.
Being in a location containing evidence of past revisions
Contributed by Alex P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Alex Moura
Limitless Fun , thanks Michelin , haha
Johnny D
yup
B W
I guess I’m old, I just found this song from my grand daughter. What a fun song.
valgorlin
Those of you who read poetry and love good literature...Like this and favorite this band all you can. This band has some of the best lyrics and delivery around.
Magdolyn Harris
On repeat in my head. Thanks for this. 💕
reszax
Amazing. I cannot get this song out of my head!
d doyle
awesome song, awesome band 💙
supamellow123
When these guys hit it big i can say "pssh, i listened before it was cool."
fanofthetoka
Genius lyrics and wonderful music.
DG87
This band is fucking amazing. Come to Iceland please!