Hailing from Montreal, Canada, Islands is a 6 piece band founded in 2005 by The Unicorns co-founder/songwriter Nick Thorburn (often performing as "Nick Diamonds") and drummer J'Aime Tambeur. Following the untimely disbandment of The Unicorns as they teetered on the brink of breaking through, Islands' debut release entitled Return to the Sea, with its quirky sounds and refreshing, catchy melodies includes collaborations with members of Arcade Fire and Wolf Parade. This debut picks up where The Unicorns left off and takes the music to new heights without departing from The Unicorns' unique if sometimes peculiar appeal.
Islands plays beautiful pop melodies, intertwined with elements of afro-pop, hip hop, and indie rock, among others. One of the main gimmicks of the band is the recorder brought over from The Unicorns, which is prominently featured in the song "Jogging Gorgeous Summer." Nick Diamonds rules over the band with an iron fist. Other members include: Patrice Agbokou, Aaron Harris, Alex Chow, Sebastian Chow, and Patrick Gregoire. Return To the Sea, their rookie effort, was released on April 4th, 2006 on the brand new label, Equator Records, and Rough Trade in the UK. Digital Distribution handled by Alpha Pup.
On May 20, 2008, Islands released its second album, Arm's Way, on Anti- Records.
On September 22, 2009 Islands released their third full length album, Vapours.
On February 14, 2012 Islands released their fourth full length album, A Sleep & A Forgetting.
On September 17, 2013 Islands released their fifth full length album, Ski Mask
On May 13, 2016 Islands released their sixth and seventh full length albums, Should I Remain Here, At Sea? and Taste.
EOL
Islands Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Crushed my will
And took my breath ooh ooh
How could I have known
The windows would be closed
There was nowhere to leave
There was nowhere to go
The endlessness of lines
Drawn across time
Wrapped my finger to you
But you've gone beyond ooh ooh
I went back to look for you
Sifting through the living room, the living room
Fell into a hopeless nest
Misery tattooed
You
Back in back in
You're never coming back
No matter what
The endlessness of lines
Broken like twine
Drawn across time
In a pointless line
A building fell on me
Crushed my will
And took by breath
Away from me ooh ooh
The lyrics of Islands' song EOL reflect upon the emotions of loss and despair after a building falls on the singer, crushing their will and taking away their breath. In the opening lines of the song, the singer describes the overwhelming weight of the destruction that has taken place. The building that has fallen on them has not only physically hurt them but has also left them feeling lost and hopeless, taking away their ability to breathe.
The singer then reflects upon their experience and questions how they could have known that the windows would be closed and there would be nowhere to go. There is a sense of helplessness and inevitability to the situation, with the singer feeling trapped within the lines of time. They have tried to reach out to someone, wrapping their finger around them, but it appears that they have already moved beyond, leaving the singer alone in their misery.
The final lines of the song affirm that the singer has lost someone they loved, and they cannot bring them back no matter what. There is a sense of finality to these lyrics, with the singer feeling broken and trapped in a pointless line. The endlessness of the situation is emphasized once again, but this time, it is not drawn across time but broken like twine, highlighting the fragile nature of life and the relationships we hold dear.
Line by Line Meaning
A building fell on me
Something happened to me that was out of my control and resulted in physical harm
Crushed my will
The event was so traumatic that it destroyed my motivation or desire to move forward
And took my breath ooh ooh
The impact was so severe that it literally took away my ability to breathe for a brief period of time
How could I have known
I had no way of predicting or preparing for this event
The windows would be closed
Factors outside of my control made it impossible to escape or find a way out
There was nowhere to leave
I was trapped with no exit in sight
There was nowhere to go
I was stuck and had no options
The endlessness of lines
Passages of time that feel never-ending or cyclical in nature
Drawn across time
The continuous passage of time that moves us forward regardless of our desires
Wrapped my finger to you
I was completely devoted or tied to you in some way
But you've gone beyond ooh ooh
The person I was tied to is no longer here or no longer cares about me
I went back to look for you
I was searching for something or someone that I had lost or no longer had
Sifting through the living room, the living room
Going through familiar places or memories in hopes of finding what was lost
Fell into a hopeless nest
The search became overwhelming and I felt trapped in my misery
Misery tattooed you
Painful experiences or emotions have deeply impacted the person I care about
Back in back in
Memories or emotions keep resurfacing and causing pain
You're never coming back
The loss I experienced is permanent and cannot be changed
No matter what
There is nothing I can do to change what has happened
Broken like twine
The cyclical nature of time has been disrupted and broken as a result of the event
In a pointless line
Despite the passage of time, nothing has changed or improved
And took my breath away from me ooh ooh
The event was so traumatic that it left me breathless and unable to move forward easily
Contributed by Camden L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.