Andy joined the band after the release of Midnight Organ Fight, allowing them to play many songs from the album they would previously have struggled to fill out instrumentally. Gordon joined the band in November 2009 and is a former member of Make Model. He left the band in 2014.
The origins of the band are rooted in 2003, when Scott began playing solo shows under the name Frightened Rabbit, mostly in support of fellow art-schoolers Shitdisco. Recordings were made on a tascam 4-track recorder, with Scott playing all the instruments (some more proficiently than others). Though looser, sparser, and certainly more lo-fi in terms of production values, their early demos still attest to a burgeoning talent with a defined personality and a now familiar penchant for being able to create widely appreciated pop songs.
In 2004 Scott’s brother Grant moved to Glasgow, Scotland, contributing drums to certain recorded tracks, and playing live. Frightened Rabbit became louder and better. They burnt 50 copies of their subsequent demo, and sent some out to labels, resulting in three tracks being hosted on the FatCat MP3/demo website, and marking the beginning of a wonderful relationship. In 2006, Billy joined the band playing primarily second guitar, making Frightened Rabbit in the band’s own words, a wee bit better and louder still. That February they went into The Diving Bell Lounge studio with Glasgow based producer Marcus Mackay to record some songs over the course of a week. The intention was to record a better quality demo, but the resultant recordings ended up as the bands debut LP Sing The Greys, of which 1000 copies were pressed and released that May on home grown label Hits The Fan.
An incredibly accomplished live outfit (seemingly without any effort whatsoever), further live dates followed into 2007, including a brief but successful US jaunt, culminating in a sold-out show at The Mercury Lounge in NYC, before the album was even available in the US. After an intense spate of writing, rehearsing, recording, and remixing, and of course playing more live shows, ‘Sing The Greys’ was remastered by Alan Douches, and re-released in significantly revamped form by FatCat Autumn 2007, along with debut single ‘Be Less Rude’. Rounding off the year with the incredible 'It's Christmas So We'll Stop' single.
In April 2008, the band released their second full length, "The Midnight Organ Fight", a progression in terms of songwriting, sonic depth, and as a fully realised entity. Recorded by Peter Katis (Mercury Rev, Interpol) over the space of two weeks, and mixed over the ensuing fortnight, ‘Midnight Organ Fight’ was conceived and realised in a much shorter time span than its predecessor, with the intention of creating a more coherent, ‘pop’ sounding album. Yet although musically more immediate, vitally, the band have not forsaken the personality or passion of any of their earlier recordings.
In July 2008, a live rendition of ‘Midnight Organ Fight’ was recorded in Glasgow, and mixed by Mice Parade’s Adam Pierce, entitled 'Liver! Lung! Fr!' The stripped-down instrumentation brings singer Scott Hutchison’s vocal delivery - now wrenching, now soaring - to the fore, showcasing the emotive lyrics and memorable melodies that have earned the band their passionate following. This album was released in the United States in late 2008, and a world release date to followed in March 2009.
The band's third album "The Winter of Mixed Drinks" was released in early 2010. The fourth album “Pedestrian Verse” was released in 2013, while their fifth and final album “Painting of a Panic Attack” was released in 2016.
Fast Blood
Frightened Rabbit Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's stroke-time
Let's get paralyzed down both sides
Snake hips, red city kiss
And your black eyes roll back
Midnight Organ Fight
Yours gives into mine
It's all right
And the fast blood
Hurricanes through me
And then it rips my roof away with her fire hands
This is the longest kiss
Good night
Oh
And now I, I tremble
Because this fumble
Has become biblical
I feel like I just died twice
Was reborn again
For all our dirty sins
And the fast blood, fast blood, fast blood
Hurricanes through me
And then it rips my roof away with her fire hands
This is the longest kiss
Good night
Good night
And then I fall down
I stumble
And she said, and she said, she said good night
In Frightened Rabbit's song Fast Blood, the lyrics suggest a night of reckless passion and intimacy. The singer addresses his lover, saying good night as they enter a state of paralysis down both sides. The sexual language used in the stanza, referring to snake hips and a red city kiss, evokes a sense of intensity and danger. In the following line, the singer describes how their partner's eyes roll back as they become lost in the moment. The reference to Midnight Organ Fight is a tongue-in-cheek nod to Frightened Rabbit's second studio album, which includes several songs about heartbreak and love.
The chorus repeats the idea of fast blood, which suggests a rush of adrenaline and passion. The metaphor of a hurricane ripping the roof away with fire hands conveys the devastating, uncontrollable power of desire. The singer seems to be caught up in the sensation of the moment, remarking on the longest kiss before saying good night again.
Line by Line Meaning
Good night
The end of the night is approaching.
It's stroke-time
It's late at night and time to let loose.
Let's get paralyzed down both sides
Let's get so drunk that we can't move.
Snake hips, red city kiss
Dancing in the city with passion and excitement.
And your black eyes roll back
The feeling of being so deeply in love and passionately involved with someone.
Midnight Organ Fight
A reference to the band's album Midnight Organ Fight and the theme of conflict and tension in romantic relationships.
Yours gives into mine
The idea that lovers are becoming one through their interactions.
It's all right
Reassurance that things are going well.
And the fast blood
A metaphor for intense feelings of passion and excitement that take over one's body.
Hurricanes through me
The feeling of being overwhelmed and swept away by emotions.
And then it rips my roof away with her fire hands
The intensity of passion causing a sense of danger and excitement.
This is the longest kiss
The idea that love and passion are infinite and continue to grow.
Oh
An exclamation to emphasize the power of the feelings involved.
And now I, I tremble
The singer is overwhelmed by the intensity of the moment.
Because this fumble
Mistakes have been made, but they embrace them as part of the journey.
Has become biblical
The idea that their love is epic and will be remembered in history.
I feel like I just died twice
The depth of the emotional experience is as profound as a near-death experience.
Was reborn again
Starting anew, free from previous burdens and hangups with new perspective.
For all our dirty sins
Accepting and owning the imperfections and mistakes involved in the relationship.
And then I fall down
The passion and intensity of the moment has physically affected the artist.
I stumble
A metaphor for being disoriented and off balance due to the passion of the moment.
And she said, and she said, she said good night
The end of the night, but not the end of the passion and feelings involved.
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: David Kennedy, Grant David Hutchison, Scott John Hutchison
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
PICTURES ON SILENCE
Good night
It's stroke-time
Let's get paralysed down both sides
Snake hips, red city kiss
And your black eyes roll back
Midnight Organ Fight
Your's gives into mine
It's all right
And the fast blood
Hurricanes through me
And then it rips my roof away with her fire heads
This is the longest kiss
Good night
Oh..
And now I, I tremble
Because this fumble
Has become biblical
I feel like I just died twice
Was reborn again
For all our dirty sins
Steven Smurthwaite
The best band I've heard in the last 10 years.
l
Agreed 👍
windTakenSoul
This song will always be my favorite. Miss you Scott. Hope your demons are at rest now. RIP to your beautiful soul.
PICTURES ON SILENCE
me too with poke ...RIP Scott
themanwho07
Awful news...’this is the longest kiss goodnight’ :-(
Nick Randles
windtakensoul know what you mean. I read the news today oh boy... :(
windTakenSoul
Psycho Mantis I just keep listening to his voice and poetic despair. I don't know how to cope. Although I don't know him personally, I feel as though I've lost a close friend. 💔
Psycho Mantis
:( This is my favourite song too. Saw them live years ago and was instantly pumped when they started playing this.
Dream Way
Without a doubt the finest Scottish album ever made.
Bill Borgerding
I would go farther than that my friend.