Michael Todd Berland and Christian Novelli have been releasing music together as Fox Academy since 2012. Their sound is characterized by drowsy and adventurous indie rock, appealing to fans of American Pleasure Club, Alex G, Strange Ranger and Oso Oso. Their approach to bedroom pop carries a distinct woodsy quality, often interweaving pop culture references and subtle humor amidst the prevailing melancholic vibes. Notably, their album Angel Hair, released in July 2019, features tracks titled "NASCAR" and "Property Brothers," with an opening line that humorously states, "I got metal in my headphones, metal in my face, I put metal in the microwave."
The duo released their first full album, "Luxury Beverage," in January 2015, followed by their second album, "Saint Molly," in April 2017. In 2020, Fox Academy presented their full-length documentary film titled "Late Nite Saints." The movie captures their exploration of the Pacific Northwest, seeking beauty and miracles in unexpected places. With a hypnotic ambient quality reminiscent of their music, this film provides a glimpse into the duo's lives.
In September 2020, Fox Academy released their fourth album "rabbit." The collection comprises hazy guitar tracks brimming with emotion and musical ingenuity. While an underlying emo sentiment is present, expressed through lyrics like "Nothing hurts like growing up" and "I hope that I see you tomorrow" in the final songs, the overall aesthetic leans toward a homemade, lo-fi slowcore sound. While guest appearances, including Jordana on the mellow electronic slow jam "Luck," are sprinkled throughout the album, "rabbit" primarily provides a window into the shared mindset of two friends who have embraced the subdued spirit of the times while upholding a longstanding DIY tradition.
Salem
Fox Academy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
parents sip their chardonnay
don't you want me to be like you used to?
harvard colors poison spill
leave like David Copperfield
pepper on the trampoline
wrapping paper money
don't you want me to be like you used to?
pilot never wants to land
I like it how your nose is shaped
the movies don't make me afraid
why won't they leave you at home by yourself?
sugar on my orange clothes
sugar-covered autum clothes
cartoons of drano tulip in your raincoat
don't you want me to move around like I used to?
I separate myself
it doesn't sound nice
it doesn't sound nice
The lyrics of Fox Academy's song "Salem" present a series of fragmented images that are difficult to connect at first. The opening lines, "I'm warmer on the holidays/parents sip their chardonnay", suggest a comfortable, upper-middle-class environment, where the singer is expected to conform to societal norms and please his parents. However, this desire for approval is juxtaposed with the next line, "don't you want me to be like you used to?", which implies that the singer has changed or grown in ways that his parents don't appreciate or understand.
The following lines introduce a sense of unease and disorientation, as the lyrics become more surreal and disjointed. Phrases like "Harvard colors poison spill", "pepper on the trampoline" and "wrapping paper money" don't seem to fit together, but they create a hallucinatory landscape that echoes the singer's inner turmoil. The lyrics also touch on themes of alienation and detachment, as the singer observes the world around him from a distance, "smaller next to monuments" and watching a pilot who "never wants to land". The song culminates with the repeated line, "I separate myself/it doesn't sound nice", which suggests a desire for solitude and the inability to communicate with others.
Overall, "Salem" is a deeply personal and idiosyncratic song that takes the listener on a journey through the singer's fragmented psyche. The lyrics suggest a sense of displacement and dissatisfaction with the world around him, as well as a desire to break free from societal expectations and find his own path.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm warmer on the holidays
I feel more comfortable and happy during the holidays
parents sip their chardonnay
My parents drink wine during the holidays
don't you want me to be like you used to?
I wonder if my parents want me to be like I used to be when I was younger
harvard colors poison spill
The colors of Harvard University remind me of something toxic or dangerous
leave like David Copperfield
I want to disappear like the famous magician David Copperfield
pepper on the trampoline
I put spices on a trampoline, which is a weird combination
wrapping paper money
Money wrapped in decorative paper, maybe as a Christmas gift
smaller next to monuments
I feel insignificant or small next to big monuments or buildings
pilot never wants to land
A pilot doesn't want to land the plane they are flying
I like it how your nose is shaped
I appreciate and find attractive the shape of someone's nose
the movies don't make me afraid
I am not scared by horror movies or other scary films
why won't they leave you at home by yourself?
I wonder why someone can't be left alone at home, maybe because they need supervision or care
sugar on my orange clothes
I spilled sugar on my clothes that are the color orange
sugar-covered autumn clothes
My clothes that I wore during the autumn season are now covered in sugar
cartoons of drano tulip in your raincoat
Pictures or animations of toxic chemicals or flowers on someone's raincoat
don't you want me to move around like I used to?
I wonder if my parents want me to be more active or playful like I was when I was younger
I separate myself
I isolate or distance myself from others
it doesn't sound nice
Something doesn't sound pleasant or appealing
it doesn't sound nice
Something doesn't sound pleasant or appealing
Contributed by Caleb K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.