The debut album, “Three Empty Words”, was released in 1994 and it became their breakthrough on the Swedish alternative scene. The second single from the album, “Anything Higher”, was played a lot on the radio – and the video was shown on Z-TV. After some touring in Sweden, Kiethevez worked with the film music for the motion picture “Öden”. Now they started to receive attention even from abroad, for instance from Germany, Brazil, Spain and USA.
The US label “A Different Drum” released an American version of “Three Empty Words” in February 1997 at the same time as the band were finishing their new album back home in Sweden. In October of 1997 the first single “Can’t See This” was released and shortly thereafter their second album, “Opium”. The interest in the US started growing and also “Opium” was released there in the end of 1997.
In 1998, “Opium” was awarded as the third best album of the year at SAMA (Swedish Alternative Music Awards) and in September that year, the single “Erina” was released and it received a lot of air time on European radio. The same month, “One Roman Choir” was released as an American single and it became an underground hit and was played a lot on radio and on dance floors.
After some Swedish gigs, the band went to New York for two shows that were very successful. Back home again Kiethevez performed together with the band “Yvonne” at Kåren, Gothenburg and they also worked on a new album. But, after some time the band decided to take a break, the new songs didn’t feel strong enough, something was missing. Parts of the band worked with film music and other projects for a while.
In August of 2001, Kiethevez were talked into performing at “Göteborgs-kalaset”, a big festival in Gothenburg. After a successful performance the band decided to start working together again.
Between 2002 and 2005 about thirty new songs were composed, Kiethevez had at last found a more developed sound. In early 2005 thirteen songs were picked out to be completed in the studio. Due to the amount of time needed to find that special album sound, everything got delayed. By the end of 2006 the new material entered the mixing phase, but the mixing sessions had to be postponed a couple of months because the sound still wasn’t right. During the spring of 2007 the mixing sessions were renewed, and at the end of the year all pieces were finally right, the new album was mixed and ready for mastering.
In March 2008 Kiethevez signed a deal with the American independent record label A Different Drum for the release of the new album “Non-binary”. Non-binary is a thoroughly worked out eleven track album that can be described as more organic, honest and acoustic compared to the earlier releases. Eleven really good songs are characterized by the melancholic melodies and the brilliant harmonies which are typical for Kiethevez. The album represents an updated, electro-acoustic and more mature sound where the songs shall be interpreted as a whole, a context with a common message.
Perfection
Kiethevez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But you'll find out it isn't sufficient
You think you can manage these times
But I find that very implausible
So turn your back away from me
And you'll find out it's not likeable
I've been through this before
So don't you try to get me at distance
You'll get to understand
If you leave me here this way
Nothing's won and nothing's gained
And you'll never find perfection
If you turn me down again
So much's gone and so much pain
And you'll never find perfection
And if you don't believe in my words
You will end up feeling unsatisfied
I supply with my support
So what's the cause of your behaviour
How can you say
That we don't have to change anything
If you leave me here again
So much is gone and so much pain
And you'll never find perfection
And as the time (it passes by)
You'll wonder about the facts
You'll wonder about the facts you never claimed
You'll wonder about the words I never said
And the world I never saved
The lyrics to Kiethevez's "Perfection" express frustration and pain in a relationship that's struggling to find a sense of completeness. The singer is warning their partner that their current behavior isn't enough to sustain their relationship and that they won't find "perfection" by turning their back on him. The singer has been through this before and knows firsthand that distance won't make things any better.
The singer urges their partner to listen to their words and to not reject their support, warning that if they do, they'll end up feeling unsatisfied. The singer seems to be the more committed partner in the relationship, pushing for change and active involvement in making things better. The repeated mention of "perfection" seems to be both a goal and an irony - nothing is ever perfect, and by searching for it, the relationship is doomed to fail.
The song also contains a warning about the passing of time and the potential for regrets. The partner who chooses to turn away may later "wonder about the facts," including what could have been different had they stayed and worked on the relationship.
Overall, "Perfection" is a melancholic song about relationships, communication, and the difficulty of finding a sense of completeness. It warns against rejecting support and pushing away the people we love, urging instead for open communication and a willingness to work towards improvement.
Line by Line Meaning
Nothing's won, that you've learned
You haven't gained anything by what you've learned
But you'll find out it isn't sufficient
What you've learned isn't enough
You think you can manage these times
You believe you can handle the current situation
But I find that very implausible
But I don't believe that's possible
So turn your back away from me
If you ignore me
And you'll find out it's not likeable
You'll realize it's not pleasant
I've been through this before
I've experienced this before
So don't you try to get me at distance
So don't try to distance yourself from me
And as the time, it passes by
As time goes by
You'll get to understand
You'll come to understand
If you leave me here this way
If you abandon me in this state
Nothing's won and nothing's gained
You won't gain anything
And you'll never find perfection
You won't achieve perfection
If you turn me down again
If you reject me once more
So much's gone and so much pain
So much has been lost and there's so much pain
And you'll never find perfection
You won't achieve perfection
And if you don't believe in my words
And if you don't trust me
You will end up feeling unsatisfied
You'll be left feeling dissatisfied
I supply with my support
I offer my support
So what's the cause of your behaviour
So what's the reason for your behavior
How can you say
How can you claim
That we don't have to change anything
That we don't need to make any changes
If you leave me here again
If you abandon me once more
So much is gone and so much pain
So much has been lost and there's so much pain
And you'll never find perfection
You won't achieve perfection
And as the time (it passes by)
As time goes by
You'll wonder about the facts
You'll question what's true
You'll wonder about the facts you never claimed
You'll question what you never acknowledged
You'll wonder about the words I never said
You'll question what I never expressed
And the world I never saved
And the world I never rescued
Contributed by Grayson O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.