Infant Island released their self-titled debut album on August 1, 2018. The album was premiered by VICE via Noisey on July 27 and also received praise from Stereogum on its release day. Two weeks later, the album was featured in a Bandcamp Daily writeup.
On July 1, 2019, a 4-way split titled Hymnes aux désarrois de la peau was released featuring Infant Island, Frail Body, Massa Nera, and Dianacrawls. The split was a collaborative release by 17 independent labels from around the world.
Infant Island premiered "Someplace Else" as a music video on April 6, 2020. It would be the 9th and final track of their second album Beneath. On April 17, the band released "Stare Spells" as the first proper single (available on official streaming/download sites) from Beneath. It was revealed on this day that Beneath was recorded in 2018 and would be released on vinyl and cassette with UK label Dog Knights Productions. The band also surprise-released the EP Sepulcher on the same day. Marketed as a mini-LP, it consists of their most recent recordings at the time (December 2019 through March 2020) and was collaboratively released by Acrobat Unstable Records, Left Hand Label (a sub-label of Dog Knights), and Canadian imprint Zegema Beach Records. Beneath was released on May 15 to much critical acclaim, including a 7.9 rating by Ian Cohen of Pitchfork.
Infant Island released the compilation album Collections 1 digitally on June 5, 2020, consisting of remixes, demos, and other extras spanning their 4-year-long career. It received a cassette release of 100 copies via bassist Guerra's tape label Hidden Sound Collective.
Visit the band's official homepage at https://infantisland.us/.
The Garden
Infant Island Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'll be there with you in the dirt:
Stricken from the flesh, returned to the earth.
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
Souls go to heaven, while metal will rust.
It ends in ashes, it all comes apart.
Final attempt through
Of this opportunity
Bled
Thousands of colors
Ablaze
My glimpse of
A Reset
Thrones and skyline
Horrors
Towering above trees
Immovable
Contouring and crescent
Now you're fed upon
Descend below the roots
The lyrics to Infant Island's song "The Garden" are poetic and introspective, expressing the cyclical nature of life and death. The first few lines depict a person who is present with someone they love in the garden and will also be there to support them in their final moments, when they are laid to rest in the dirt. The imagery of "ashes to ashes, dust to dust" represents the idea that after we die, our physical bodies will disintegrate and merge with the earth once more. The line "souls go to heaven, while metal will rust" alludes to the belief that our spiritual essence transcends the material world, while the things we create are temporary and will eventually decay.
The second verse of the song takes a more abstract and surreal turn, with lines like "final attempt through every window" and "thousands of colors ablaze." The imagery here is dreamlike and open to interpretation, but it seems to suggest a moment of intense inspiration or revelation. The line "now you're fed upon, descend below the roots" is a powerful metaphor for death and decay, with the idea that once we pass on, we become part of the natural cycle of the world once more.
Overall, "The Garden" is a poignant and thought-provoking song that explores the themes of mortality, spirituality, and the human experience.
Line by Line Meaning
I was there with you in the garden,
I was with you in the beginning when everything was perfect and beautiful.
I'll be there with you in the dirt:
I'll be with you even when everything has diminished and lost its beauty.
Stricken from the flesh, returned to the earth.
Being separated from our physical bodies, we are reunited with nature.
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
Death is inevitable, and what we are made of returns to the earth.
Souls go to heaven, while metal will rust.
Our souls go to an afterlife, and our physical creations will eventually decay and disappear.
It ends in ashes, it all comes apart.
Everything eventually meets its end and ceases to exist.
Final attempt through
One last effort to make things right.
Every window
Every opportunity we have.
Of this opportunity
Of this chance to make things right.
Bled
Lost, wasted or stained.
Thousands of colors
Countless possibilities and paths to take.
Ablaze
The magnitude and beauty of these possibilities.
My glimpse of
My brief vision of what could be.
A Reset
A fresh start or a chance to undo past mistakes.
Thrones and skyline
The reigning powers and the world they rule over.
Horrors
The terrible things that happen in the world.
Towering above trees
Dominating over the natural world, humans hold power over the environment.
Immovable
Stuck in their ways and unwilling to change for the better.
Contouring and crescent
The shape of the world, twisting and turning along the way.
Now you're fed upon
Now you're consumed by the negativity around you.
Descend below the roots
Retreating back to the beginning, to nature, to rediscover yourself.
Writer(s): Alexander Rudenshiold
Contributed by Leo C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.