These are anxious times. From unemployment and embattled governments to mys… Read Full Bio ↴These are anxious times. From unemployment and embattled governments to mysterious mass deaths of birds and fish, it's easy to wonder if 2012's apocalypse won't come a year early. It's heady fare for an indie rock record, but somehow the dense soundscapes from New York City's Hooray for Earth's True Loves find a way to float on thin air. "The record is really aggressive sounding, but soft in attitude," band leader Noel Heroux says. "It's a friendly record. I get more emotionally affected by extremes. I've really grabbed onto the positive, uplifting feelings in music that get me super psyched—but that can also come from sounds that are daunting and a little scary."

Coming out May 3, 2011, on Dovecote Records, True Loves builds on Hooray for Earth's acclaimed debut EP, Momo, and captures both the personal and universal anxieties that have such a footing in contemporary times. Lead single "True Loves" thumps along neck-snapping drums, awash with blips and synths, surprising breakdowns and Heroux's soaringly languid vocals. Pitchfork has already compared the track favorably to artists like MGMT, Yeasayer and Passion Pit, while saying that "all the right elements are in place...[it] floats along and pounds forward at the same time, and one way or another it wants to carry you along with it." Meanwhile, Stereogum labeled the band one of "CMJ's heroes," taking particular note of Hooray for Earth's "nimble but unpretentious guitars" and "sense of progressive psychedelics and percussive progressions." The sound that has indie-culture's gatekeepers fawning is one that springs directly from Heroux's imagination into a climactic reality.

"I don't write music with an instrument, I usually just get an idea of what the whole song sounds like in my head, kind of like an earworm that stays with you after listening to the radio. My task is to recreate what's stuck in my head in actual audible form, as quickly as possible," he says. "I wish I could just plug a cord into my head...I think that's why the music tends to be a little dense, because I think of all these things at once."

Heroux wrote, recorded, and produced about 90% of the new album, with bassist Christopher Principe and guitarist/live synthist Gary Benacquista peppering parts in a few sessions, and drummer Joseph Ciampini adding two days of rooftop drum tracking. Mixed by Chris Coady (Beach House, Blonde Redhead, Delorean, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV on the Radio), the album might as well be a direct link to the exciting mind of Heroux. Hooray for Earth's progression is apparent everywhere on the record and boasts exciting things for a band that has already appeared onstage with Mission of Burma, Holy Fuck, Surfer Blood, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Oh No Ono, and many more. Recorded over five weeks in New York, it's at once specific to the summer of 2010 and transcendent of time itself. Once again, a happy set of extremes.

"Most of the [recording] process is just me getting lost and trying to get things done. I feel like I'm on autopilot sometimes. I'll finish a song and wonder, 'When did that happen?' I don't spend a lot of time stressing about what instruments to use or what's missing, I just kind of let it be."

Racy
Hooray For Earth Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Now that you said it
I start to forget
I know the desire and the rest

But I could be watching you
It's keeping me away
And keeping you the same
But I could be watching you

Now that I said it
Leave it up, leave it down
It's always the time for the past
If you don't have wonder
It's because ...

Well I could be wathcing you
It's keeping me away
And keeping you the same

But I could be watching you
Well i could be watching you

Overall Meaning

In the song Racy by Hooray For Earth, the lyrics seem to be about a past love interest that the singer is trying to forget but is struggling with, as evidenced by the repetition of “now that you said it, I start to forget.” The singer seems to know their desire for the person is unhealthy and wants to move on, but cannot seem to let go. The line “I could be watching you, it’s keeping me away” suggests that the singer is physically distancing themselves from the person to avoid falling back into old habits or feelings.

The chorus repeats the line “I could be watching you” and it could be interpreted in a few different ways. It could mean the singer is literally watching this person from afar, or it could represent their desire to watch them and be with them despite knowing it’s not good for them. The line “keeping you the same” could mean that despite the singer’s efforts to move on, they are keeping this person in their mind as they were in the past, rather than allowing them to grow or change. The song ends with the repetition of “I could be watching you” which could represent the singer still struggling with letting go of their past desires.

Line by Line Meaning

Now that you said it
After you expressed your thoughts or feelings

I start to forget
I begin to lose my memory or recollection

I know the desire and the rest
I understand the wanting and everything else involved

But I could be watching you
However, I am capable of observing you

It's keeping me away
It is causing me to maintain distance

And keeping you the same
And causing you to remain unchanged

Now that I said it
Having expressed my thoughts or feelings

Leave it up, leave it down
Let it be, in any position or state

It's always the time for the past
The past is constantly present and relevant

If you don't have wonder
If you don't have curiosity or amazement

It's because ...
It is due to some reason