Into It. Over It. is the solo project of the Chicago, Illinois-based musici… Read Full Bio ↴Into It. Over It. is the solo project of the Chicago, Illinois-based musician Evan Thomas Weiss. It is considered one of the leading acts in the emo revival scene of the 2010s. Evan Weiss grew up in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. His first exposure to the genre of emo was hearing the band Sunny Day Real Estate in the seventh grade while browsing a record shop. He continued his interest in music through buying Jade Tree and Polyvinyl records and going to local shows in Philadelphia. In the "fourth or fifth grade", Weiss started, with school friends, the band J.A.R., which eventually became The Progress, garnering modest local success. On September 27th, 2007, New Jersey native/Chicago inhabitant Evan Thomas Weiss turned twenty-three. He noticed that his last few years had gone by rather quickly. To combat (or encourage..?) this movement in his life, he wrote and recorded one song every week of his twenty-fourth year--exactly fifty-two songs. Releasing them under the moniker Into It. Over It., the 52 Weeks project was followed in 2010 by a series of six split EPs which consisted of 12 songs Evan had written about 12 U.S. towns. 2011 saw the release of Proper, Into It. Over It.'s debut studio album. By this time, Into It. Over It. was already touring extensively as a solo acoustic act through Evan's sizeable network of musician friends (both within the US and internationally), linking him with artists from various indie, punk and emo scenes. After the release of Proper, Evan assembled a full band lineup to finally flesh out Into It. Over It.'s live performances.

The sophomore album Intersections followed after another two long years of touring, marking a refocus of Into It. Over It.'s sound from pop punk-oriented songs to a more instrumentally broad, indie-centric approach. With a new live lineup to match the sonic shift, Into It. Over It. went out on the road again and appeared not only on long headlining tours, but also large festivals such as Lollapalooza and Riot Fest. Between the never-ending string of full band and solo shows that Evan is perpetually caught on, work on the third Into It. Over It. album has begun with a January 2015 writing session, entailing Evan and Into It. Over It.'s current drummer Josh Sparks being holled up in a cabin for thirty days. Since the fifth grade, Evan spent many years writing, recording and touring in bands. His first band was The Progress, formed with his grade school friends. Evan was a bass player in many of his early bands as a result of losing a coin toss with the other members of The Progress to decide who would play guitar in the band. Prior to the initiation of Into It. Over It., Evan was also in Damiera, Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start, Labour, Map the Growth,, The Funeral Bird, Hiroshima Mon'Amour, Sleeper Agents, The French Connection, Emergency and Forgive Her Choke Her. More recently, Evan has spent his time off from Into It. Over It. in Stay Ahead of the Weather with the other members of Into It. Over It.'s first touring lineup, Pet Symmetry with members of Dowsing, and Their / They're / There with Matthew Frank of Loose Lips Sink Ships and Mike Kinsella of Owen.

Batsto
Into It. Over It. Lyrics

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Remembering the year that you were gone: A series of decisions -- unhealthy living. Writing novels in monitored time. Cold pavement under static sky -- gaining patience, but losing sight -- we wrote off our problems as better times. But hey, you couldn't sell the stories anyway. In a battle with New England of who knows you best, a mediocre vote of confidence. That poor boy won't know what hit him, if and when you tell commitment to take a hike. It's the same old story, so help me if I try to make an honest effort this time. But hey, we couldn't tell the stories anyway.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Batsto" by Into It. Over It. is a sense of nostalgia and lament about a relationship that has already ended. The singer is reminiscing about the year when his partner was gone and how he coped with it. The stanza "remembering the year that you were gone" immediately sets the tone for the rest of the song. It's like the singer is looking back at a past that he knows he can never get back to, and it's making him feel somewhat melancholic.

The lyrics reflect how the duo made questionable decisions during that time, leading to an unhealthy lifestyle and an unproductive way of living. In the lines, "Writing novels in monitored time. Cold pavement under static sky," the singer seems to be referring to the time they spent writing, probably confined indoors, and the dullness that came with it. The lines "gaining patience, but losing sight -- we wrote off our problems as better times" suggest that they were trying to overcome their problems by acknowledging it as a better time, yet they knew it wasn't so.

The lyrics go on to talk about how they both chose not to face their problems and instead masked them with better stories. However, this resolved nothing as the singer states, "But hey, you couldn't sell the stories anyway." He then proceeds to talk about how their friends knew the singer's partner more intimately and that their mediocre confidence votes cannot make a difference. The songs end with a reflection of the same story going on and on, and the singer cannot make an effort to change it.

Line by Line Meaning

Remembering the year that you were gone
Recalling a time of poor decision-making and unhealthy behavior during the year that you were absent from my life

A series of decisions -- unhealthy living.
A pattern of choices that led to unhealthy habits and self-destructive behavior

Writing novels in monitored time.
Trying to create something meaningful while feeling restricted and confined

Cold pavement under static sky -- gaining patience, but losing sight -- we wrote off our problems as better times.
Feeling stuck and unfulfilled, trying to be patient while losing motivation and dismissing our problems as past issues

But hey, you couldn't sell the stories anyway.
Realizing that our attempts at creating something meaningful were unsuccessful and unappreciated by others

In a battle with New England of who knows you best, a mediocre vote of confidence.
Struggling to find a sense of identity and receiving only lukewarm support from others in our search

That poor boy won't know what hit him, if and when you tell commitment to take a hike.
Feeling worried for someone who may not realize the consequences of their actions when they reject commitment

It's the same old story, so help me if I try to make an honest effort this time.
Feeling stuck in a cycle of repeating the same mistakes and lacking motivation to try again

But hey, we couldn't tell the stories anyway.
Acknowledging that even with effort, our attempts at creating something meaningful fell short

Contributed by Aaliyah E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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