Their second full length "The Answer is Never" (2004), presented Howards Alias as more mature, taking in a huge range of influences. The album was recorded mostly live, to give an honest account of the 'Howards Alias' sound and to get the intimacy of the songs and band across.
Over the next 12 months the band toured hard but growing up with the grass roots ethics of bands like The Police and The Beatles, the band were also keen to record another record, so they came back to work with 'TAIN' engineer Peter Miles. In April 2005 the band went into the studio and emerged with their third album "Beat, Heart Beat" (2005), packed with new songs and a more progressive sound. The album was very well received by fans and press alike, the press often noting the bands very unique sound and "Howards Alias sound much more at home with British rock counterparts Biffy Clyro and Reuben than their American cousins"
The band like to put forward a message of non-violence and anti-elitism, and like to consider themselves musicians playing music together, rather than a band that has to keep playing a certain type of music in order to conform to the punk rock cliche.
The band split up in 2005, then later reformed in 2006.
They are now set to record a new album, which will no doubt take them in yet another change in musical direction, with new songs on their MySpace page having a more rock feel, than the ska-punk sound which the album "The Chameleon Script".
On April 15th 2008, Matthew Reynolds announced that Howards Alias were to permanently disband. This was the first official announcement from Howards Alias in 2008, although Reynolds had been promoting his solo album - The Wreck of The Hesperus - throughout February.
Drummer Robert King had left the band in January to continue his career, and - following the initial shock - the band had decided to try to recruit a new drummer. In March, however, Matthew Roberts went on tour playing saxophone for Foals and subsequently started tour managing other bands; feeling that he could no longer commit the time to Howards Alias, he also left the band. With almost half of the core members of the band gone, Matthew Reynolds, Nicholas Horne and David Ransom agreed that it would be "a next to impossible task to replace them".
Although disbanding, Howards Alias released [ep.i.phan.ic] in a limited run for any fans who expressed an interest in pre-ordering a copy.
Blossom
Howards Alias Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And it's gotten me into thinking how things change.
You wont, you wont scare me into thinking you are brave,
And you wont, you wont scare me into thinking you will save me.
Resting up for a short time, I've been away,
And it's gotten me into thinking how things change.
You wont, you wont scare me into thinking you are brave,
A second chance; a new romance,
Will blossom from this; rise above this.
No, we wont wait, and nor will the stakes,
That all ride on this, that ride all on this.
You are changing into something I despise,
All your changes I can't see with just my eyes.
This place has warped your mind into a different state,
But we've been stagnant for so long and I can't wait.
A second chance; a new romance,
Will blossom from this; rise above this.
No, we wont wait, and nor will the stakes,
That all ride on this, that ride all on this.
Something told me to stay with you for so long,
I don't want to waste anymore of my time.
Simple thoughts, they don't call for desperate measures,
And your arrogance is worth nothing to us.
Why did you think you could walk away
From this intoxicated severance of mindfulness?
Don't think for one second we can't live without you,
We'll grow stronger, we'll grow stronger.
We'll grow stronger, we'll grow stronger.
We'll grow stronger, we'll grow stronger.
We'll grow stronger, we'll grow stronger.
We'll grow stronger, we'll grow stronger.
A second chance; a new romance,
Will blossom from this; rise above this.
No, we wont wait, and nor will the stakes,
That all ride on this, that ride all on this
The lyrics to Howards Alias's song Blossom speak to the idea of change and growth in relationships, specifically in a relationship where one person has changed for the worse. The singer of the song takes a break from the relationship and realizes the extent to which their partner has changed, becoming someone they despise. Despite this, they hold onto hope for a new beginning, a "second chance" and a "new romance," and refuse to wait for their partner to save them or fix the relationship. The song ends on a note of empowerment and growth, with the idea that they will grow stronger without their partner.
The lyrics are quite introspective and touch on themes of self-growth and independence. The repetition of "resting up for a short time" emphasizes the need to sometimes take a break from a relationship in order to reflect on it and make necessary changes. The line "All your changes I can't see with just my eyes" speaks to the idea that often the changes in a relationship are more emotional and psychological, rather than physical.
Line by Line Meaning
Resting up for a short time, I've been away,
Taking a breather after a brief absence, it has given me time to reflect on change.
And it's gotten me into thinking how things change.
This time away has inspired thought on how rapidly things can transform.
You wont, you wont scare me into thinking you are brave,
Your actions won't convince me that you are courageous.
And you wont, you wont scare me into thinking you will save me.
Your actions won't convince me that you are capable of rescuing me.
A second chance; a new romance,
Opportunity for starting over, romantic or otherwise.
Will blossom from this; rise above this.
Good will come from this, and it will surpass the current difficulty.
No, we wont wait, and nor will the stakes,
We won't be idle, and the consequences are significant.
That all ride on this, that ride all on this.
Everything depends on the outcome of this situation.
You are changing into something I despise,
Your transformation is making me detest who you are becoming.
All your changes I can't see with just my eyes.
I can't fully comprehend your changes with only surface observation.
This place has warped your mind into a different state,
This environment has affected your mental state and changed you.
But we've been stagnant for so long and I can't wait.
We have been stagnant and unchanging for too long, and I am eager for progress.
Something told me to stay with you for so long,
An internal feeling compelled me to remain with you longer than I should have.
I don't want to waste anymore of my time.
I don't want to squander any more of my time on this situation.
Simple thoughts, they don't call for desperate measures,
The solution doesn't need to be complicated or extreme.
And your arrogance is worth nothing to us.
Your self-importance and overconfidence hold no value to us.
Why did you think you could walk away
What made you believe you could simply leave?
From this intoxicated severance of mindfulness?
From this impaired and damaging detachment from awareness?
Don't think for one second we can't live without you,
We are capable of living without you, and not just for a moment.
We'll grow stronger, we'll grow stronger.
We'll become more resilient and robust from this experience.
We'll grow stronger, we'll grow stronger.
We'll become more resilient and robust from this experience.
We'll grow stronger, we'll grow stronger.
We'll become more resilient and robust from this experience.
We'll grow stronger, we'll grow stronger.
We'll become more resilient and robust from this experience.
We'll grow stronger, we'll grow stronger.
We'll become more resilient and robust from this experience.
A second chance; a new romance,
Opportunity for starting over, romantic or otherwise.
Will blossom from this; rise above this.
Good will come from this, and it will surpass the current difficulty.
No, we wont wait, and nor will the stakes,
We won't be idle, and the consequences are significant.
That all ride on this, that ride all on this.
Everything depends on the outcome of this situation.
Contributed by Sadie E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.