Their début single, 'To You', on Ugly Man Records was produced by and featured backing vocals by Guy Garvey, lead singer of Еlbow.
Début album Natural History was released in March 2001 on Wall of Sound offshoot We Love You. It was followed by the self-titled I Am Kloot in September 2003 on the Echo label. In their early years I Am Kloot were regarded by many as an example of the 'quiet is the new loud' trend in indie rock, as they gained prominence in the same years as, for example, Turin Brakes and Norway's Kings of Convenience. I Am Kloot, however mostly acoustic, were definitely not always 'quiet', if only because of Bramwell's rough singing and Hargreaves' often powerful drumming.
The third 'Kloot' LP, Gods and Monsters, was released in April 2005. The band subsequently announced their departure from the label, citing reasons such as a lack of financial support and the cancellation of singles at short notice. The band released a compilation of radio sessions, BBC Radio 1 John Peel Sessions in October 2006, a collection of two Peel Sessions and other rarities.
Their fourth album, I Am Kloot Play Moolah Rouge, was released in April 2008. Once again a compilation album followed in its slipstream, this time 2009's collection of B-sides, rare recordings, sessions, and previously unreleased material, entitled B.
Following the somewhat disappointing sales of the 'Moolah Rouge' album, I Am Kloot had Elbow's Guy Garvey and Craig Potter produce their next studio album, which turned out to be a majestic return to form. Sky at Night (released July 2010) was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize and charted at #24 in the U.K. album charts.
I Am Kloot were back on the map. 2013's Let It All In became their highest charting album in the U.K. (#10), but would turn out to be their final studio LP together. There would be two more releases (a soundtrack album called From There to Here in 2014, and a 2015 live album entitled Hold Back the Night: I Am Kloot Live) before John Bramwell announced (in late 2017) that the group had quietly split up a year or so earlier.
"There was no heavy break-up or anything," Bramwell said. "I just wanted to do something else. I'll never say never to getting back together but I was in I Am Kloot most of my adult life, but just as you can go to a great place on holiday year after year, sooner or later you want to go to somewhere else."
Lately
I Am Kloot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's been a struggle
To make up what is left
Of my mind
I've been hazy
Lazy, listless and troubled
And the crazies they still come for me
What do they want?
What do they need?
What have I got
That they seek?
Lately
It's been a struggle
To make up what is left
Of my mind
I've been hazy
Lazy, listless and trouble
And the crazies they still come for me
In the night
What do they want
What do they need
What have I got
That they seek?
Lately
It's been a struggle
To make up what is left
Of my mind
The lyrics of I Am Kloot's song "Lately" describe a struggle with mental health and the persistent invasion of negative thoughts and anxiety during the night. The singer describes feeling "hazy, lazy, listless, and troubled" and references "the crazies," which are likely intrusive thoughts that plague the singer's mind. The repeated lines of "what do they want? What do they need? What have I got that they seek?" suggest a feeling of helplessness and confusion as to why these negative thoughts persist.
The repetition of the verse and chorus creates a sense of cyclical despair, as though the singer is stuck in a pattern of negative thoughts that they are struggling to break free from. The use of the word "lately" suggests that this struggle is a relatively recent development, and the repeated focus on the mind emphasizes the inward nature of this mental battle.
Overall, "Lately" is a poignant portrayal of the difficulty of dealing with mental health struggles and the ways in which negative thoughts can feel inescapable and overwhelming.
Line by Line Meaning
Lately
Recently, in the recent past
It's been a struggle
It has been a difficult and challenging experience
To make up what is left
To gather and piece back together what remains
Of my mind
Of the faculties or aspects of my brain and consciousness
I've been hazy
I have experienced a lack of clarity and confusion
Lazy, listless and troubled
I have been unmotivated, lethargic, and burdened with problems
And the crazies they still come for me
My mental troubles continue to plague me
In the night
During the darker hours when I am alone with my thoughts
What do they want?
What are the things that haunt me seeking to obtain?
What do they need?
What are the necessities that drive my mental troubles?
What have I got
What do I possess that my mental troubles are trying to obtain?
That they seek?
What are the things that my mental troubles are trying to obtain from me?
Contributed by Gianna P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@sodiumlights
i will always love you 3
@user-nu1sj1gk8q
Not to hazy, lazy, listless or troubled to write the first comment. What else do you need?