Formed initially by members Alex Church (bass), Steven Scott (guitar) and Brian Canning (guitar), Irving began as a thrown-together rock outfit to accompany a friend’s art opening. Within a month, Brent Turner (drums) joined, and the group began working in earnest on the songs that would eventually appear on its first album, Good Morning Beautiful. The release of GMB in 2002 showcased the band’s penchant for writing witty pop songs with whimsical backup vocals and upbeat melodies.
By the year’s end, Aaron Burrows (keyboards) signed on, and the band was back in the studio. The I Hope You’re Feeling Better Now EP, released in 2003 to critical acclaim, exhibited Irving’s unrelenting willingness to experiment with pop song structures, and highlighted the innate strengths of a band in which all five members are songwriters.
In the two years since the release of the EP, Irving has opened for such notables as Franz Ferdinand, Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene and The Polyphonic Spree. The band’s songwriting has also taken a noticeably more thoughtful turn. While the innate pop sensibilities continue to stand out above all else, Irving’s songwriting has matured—the sounds and structures more intricate, the subject matter more thoroughly realized.
"Death In The Garden, Blood On The Flowers" is the result of five musicians and their distinct influences, bound by an uncanny knack for melody and harmony. With production and engineering help from Phil Ek (The Shins, Modest Mouse), as well as Aaron Espinoza (Earlimart) and Jim Fairchild (from Grandaddy), Irving corrals its many distinct influences into a clear vision. From the oblique percussive start of the title track, to the psych-pop chaos of “Situation” to the so-bizarre-it-works background breathing on “I Want To Love You In My Room,” the band pulls unforgettable hooks out of the most unlikely places.
In 2007, Church left the band to form his own band, Sea Wolf, while the remaining members put Irving on hold to form a new band with singer Claire McKeown, Afternoons, not to be confused with (or sure to be confused with) the Welsh pop band The Afternoons.
Hard to Breathe
Irving Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's an urgency, a need to belong
In the morning sun, you get out of bed
With a thirsty tongue and a nail in your head
When the water's gone, the air can't breathe
The drugs that you're on, you've begun to need
You'd rather watch TV than go outside
You're not going to die
Winter's come and gone, another year marked off
All the feeling's gone, your mind is going soft
When the red ink runs like a rabbit who's scared
Pick up your guns and try to keep it fair
(Try to keep its hair)
Every day you try, you try to see
That you're going to die, it's hard to believe
It's hard to breathe
The lyrics of "Hard to Breathe" by Irving speaks about the feeling of being lost and struggling in life. It portrays the image of a person who is beaten up by the challenges they are facing and is alone in their journey. The need to belong and urgency in the individual's mind is conveyed through the line, "Like a beat-up kid who's out on his own, there's an urgency, a need to belong."
The second verse talks about the consequences of the choices made by the individual. The use of drugs has become a need, and the individual prefers staying in their comfort zone, watching TV rather than going out. The line "You'd rather watch TV than go outside, you want to believe you're not going to die" indicates that the person is trying to escape the reality of the situation. Still, deep down, they know they need to do something but struggle to take that step.
The third verse talks about the passage of time, and the feeling of being stuck in the same situation. The line, "All the feeling's gone, your mind is going soft" indicates that the person is losing their motivation and hope. The desperation to try to make things right is portrayed through the line, "Pick up your guns and try to keep it fair."
Overall, "Hard to Breathe" by Irving conveys the feelings of being lost, struggling, and the struggle to take the next step in life. The lyrics powerfully depict the individual's fight against the darkness that is slowly consuming them.
Line by Line Meaning
Like a beat-up kid who's out on his own
Feeling helpless and alone, without any support or guidance
There's an urgency, a need to belong
Feeling a strong desire to fit in and be accepted by others
In the morning sun, you get out of bed
Starting a new day with hope and positivity
With a thirsty tongue and a nail in your head
Feeling dehydrated and with an unpleasant headache or hangover
When the water's gone, the air can't breathe
Feeling suffocated or trapped when basic needs are not met
The drugs that you're on, you've begun to need
Developing an addiction or dependency on substances as a coping mechanism
You'd rather watch TV than go outside
Preferring to stay indoors and avoid facing the real world
You want to believe you're not going to die
Trying to deny the reality of one's mortality and avoid thinking about death
Winter's come and gone, another year marked off
Time passing by quickly and life progressing without conscious effort
All the feeling's gone, your mind is going soft
Feeling emotionally numb and unable to process complex thoughts or emotions
When the red ink runs like a rabbit who's scared
Feeling overwhelmed and panicked when facing financial or other difficulties
Pick up your guns and try to keep it fair
Trying to face challenges head-on and overcome them with integrity
Every day you try, you try to see
Making an effort to stay positive and hopeful despite difficult circumstances
That you're going to die, it's hard to believe
Struggling to accept the inevitability of one's own mortality and coming to terms with its implications
It's hard to breathe
Feeling suffocated or overwhelmed by the challenges of life
Contributed by Chloe S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.