Frontwoman and gothic icon Lahannya became first known as a solo artist with the release of her debut EP “Drowning”, drawing comparisons to the likes of Throwing Muses and Cocteau Twins. She soon became a sought-after guest vocalist, appearing on releases by Soman, Combichrist, Greenhaus and more recently ASP to name but a few.
In 2005 Lahannya began her collaboration with Lutz Demmler with whom she recorded her debut album “Shotgun Reality”, an unconventional marriage of alternative rock and dark electro. Lutz also became part of the live line-up, which was completed with the addition of Belle on drums and Chris Milden on guitar. The glamorous Anglo-German quartet have been touring extensively ever since with artists such as Emilie Autumn, ASP and Moon Kana.
In spring 2008 Lahannya released their follow-up EP “Welcome To The Underground”, which marked the beginning of a new era for the band: not only had their sound evolved into industrial rock infused with plenty of metal attitude, thematically it introduced the world of the Underground, a haven for misfits and nonconformists ostracised from the surveillance society that rules with an iron fist overground.
This brave new Britain and its opposition from the Underground will continue to be the setting for Lahannya’s second album “Defiance”, which is going to be the band’s darkest and most aggressive sounding release to date. “Defiance” will be released in October 2009 on Kabuki.
Website: www.lahannya.com
Myspace: www.myspace.com/lahannya
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Lahannya/17677552327
YouTube: www.youtube.com/Lahannya
Last.fm: twitter.com/lahannya
DYSTOPIA
Lahannya Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of your mesmerising labyrinth
Designed to make us feel safe
While the walls are closing in
I run around the circles
Despairing for an open door
An exit from a system
Don't you dare to tell me
How to feel and what I should believe
Don't you dare to tell me
That you wish me well should I succeed
Dystopia
Where our dreams are up for sale
Dystopia
Our utopia unveiled
Dystopia
Time to look beyond the lies
Time to make up your mind
A shining new messiah
Sells redemption from his throne
I refuse to buy your gospel
I won't give you control
Don't you dare to tell me
How to feel and what i should believe
Don't you dare to tell me
That you wish me well should I succeed
Dystopia
Where our dreams are up for sale
Dystopia
Our utopia unveiled
Dystopia
Time to look beyond the lies
Time to make up your mind
I once believed
I could conquer the world
With you by my side
So much has changed
All my hopes erased
Since our dreams have died
Dystopia
Where our dreams are up for sale
Dystopia
Our utopia unveiled
Dystopia
Time to look beyond the lies
Time to make up your mind
The lyrics of "Dystopia" by Lahannya are an exploration of disillusionment and resistance against systems that pretend to offer safety and security but ultimately lead to oppression and control. In the first verse, the singer feels trapped in a labyrinth that was designed to make her feel safe, but the walls are closing in and she cannot find her way out. The second verse is a defiant refusal to be told how to feel or what to believe by those who seek to control her.
The chorus, which repeats throughout the song, talks about how the world is a dystopia where dreams are up for sale, and the utopia that was promised is unveiled as a lie. The singer urges us to look beyond the lies and make up our own minds. In the bridge, there is a moment of reflection on how the singer used to believe she could conquer the world with someone's help, but now everything has changed and their dreams have died.
Overall, the song is a call to action to resist the systems that seek to control us and make us conform, and to reclaim our own agency and define our own paths.
Line by Line Meaning
Lost in the intestines
Feeling trapped and disoriented within a complex and confusing situation
Of your mesmerising labyrinth
In a situation that seems alluring and enchanting despite being confusing and difficult
Designed to make us feel safe
Created in a way that leads us to believe we are protected and secure
While the walls are closing in
Despite feeling safe, the situation is actually becoming more and more dangerous and limiting
I run around the circles
Frantically searching for a way out of the confusing and limiting situation
Despairing for an open door
Feeling hopeless and discouraged because no clear means of escape is evident
An exit from a system
A way out of a general organization or arrangement
That's rotting at the core
Realizing that the situation is fundamentally flawed and is deteriorating further
Don't you dare to tell me
Refusing to accept someone else's authority or manipulation
How to feel and what I should believe
Rejecting any attempt to control or sway one's emotions and convictions
That you wish me well should I succeed
Rejecting insincere expressions of goodwill or encouragement
Dystopia
A bleak and oppressive society or world
Where our dreams are up for sale
A society where one's aspirations and hopes can be commodified or controlled by powerful interests
Our utopia unveiled
Disposed of our idealistic vision of a perfect or ideal world
Time to look beyond the lies
It is time to seek and recognize the truth beyond any propaganda or deception
Time to make up your mind
The present moment requires firm decision-making and critical discernment
A shining new messiah
A charismatic and influential figure who promises salvation or liberation
Sells redemption from his throne
Exploits the hopes and spiritual needs of others in a way that perpetuates their subservience and dependence
I refuse to buy your gospel
Choosing to reject one's message, whether religious or ideological
I won't give you control
Deciding not to be subject to someone else's authority or manipulation
I once believed
Acknowledging that one's previous perspective or convictions need to be revised
I could conquer the world
Holding a grandiose vision of achieving success and influence
With you by my side
Leaning on someone for support or co-operation in achieving one's goals
So much has changed
Many things have altered compared to one's previous expectations or situation
All my hopes erased
Feeling disillusioned and bereft of any aspirations or ideals
Since our dreams have died
Because the desired outcome or vision has been irrevocably compromised or unattainable
Contributed by Carson V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.