On 11 March 2018 the band announced, via a heartfelt email to fans, that David Jakes would be leaving for mental health reasons. In August 2018, he was subsequently replaced by Jack Bennett. In April 2020 the band released their first material with Bennett on Easy Life Records; the single “Bound” was premiered on BBC Radio One.
Members
Current
Mark Trotter (lead guitar/backing vocals)
Gavin Edgeley (drums/backing vocals)
Andrew Bushen (bass guitar)
Ross Smithwick (rhythm guitar/backing vocals)
Jack Bennett (lead vocals)
Former
Joel Mason (rhythm guitar)
David Jakes (lead vocals)
Islands
Lonely The Brave Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And he wore dark all along.
We gotta hide from the corners
And keep this path moving on.
We're like lambs to the slaughter,
He sees us dancing along.
So we will run for tomorrow,
Until the grave,
It stays,
He will not stop today
Cause he's got this murder in mind.
Into the ground,
We lay
It takes your breath away,
And I see your colours in mine.
And for the fight to save
The burning of our day
I used emergency lies
And for the right to say
Forever we will stay
I used emergency lies.
So that we could stay alive,
I used emergency lies.
So that we could never die,
I used emergency lies.
The Lonely The Brave's song "Islands" is a hauntingly powerful track that is open to interpretation. The lyrics convey a sense of danger and desperation as we are told the story of a character who comes from the water and is dressed in dark clothing. The singer is urged to hide from the corners, to keep moving forward, and to run hard for the sun. There's a feeling of being trapped and hunted, with the character being pursued by some mysterious force.
The lyrics also hint at a sense of sacrifice as we are told that "into the ground we lay, it takes your breath away, and I see your colours in mine". This could be interpreted as the characters being forced to bury their fellow travellers or as a metaphor for their own demise. Whatever the interpretation may be, the tone is impactful and the sense of loss that is conveyed through the lyrics is palpable. Additionally, there is a feeling that the danger is not over as we are told that "he will not stop today cause he's got this murder in mind".
The chorus offers a glimmer of hope as the singer reveals that they have used "emergency lies" to save themselves and stay alive. This could be seen as a moral dilemma where the characters had to sacrifice their honesty to ensure their survival. The song offers a lot of symbolism and encourages the listener to think deeply about the meaning behind the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
He comes from the water,
Someone emerges from water into our visual field.
And he wore dark all along.
The person wearing dark clothing had been present for some time.
We gotta hide from the corners
We need to avoid open or visible areas.
And keep this path moving on.
We need to continue our journey without stopping or slowing down.
We're like lambs to the slaughter,
We are vulnerable and easily taken advantage of.
He sees us dancing along.
The person is aware of our presence and movement.
So we will run for tomorrow,
We will take action to ensure our future survival.
And we'll run hard for the sun
We will strive towards the light or better times.
Until the grave,
This situation will persist until death.
It stays,
The problem or danger remains.
He will not stop today
The person is determined to act now and not delay.
Cause he's got this murder in mind.
The person intends to harm or kill us.
Into the ground,
We are forced down below the surface of the earth.
We lay
We are still and helpless on the ground.
It takes your breath away,
The situation is overwhelming and suffocating.
And I see your colours in mine.
We are connected or united in our fear and suffering.
And for the fight to save
We are struggling to protect something valuable.
The burning of our day
Something important to us is being destroyed or lost.
I used emergency lies
I resorted to deceptive measures in order to survive.
And for the right to say
We are asserting our freedom of expression or beliefs.
Forever we will stay
We will remain committed to our cause indefinitely.
So that we could stay alive,
We did what we had to in order to survive.
I used emergency lies.
We were forced to deceive in order to protect ourselves.
So that we could never die,
Our survival was paramount, even above our principles.
I used emergency lies.
We were forced to compromise our integrity in order to survive.
Contributed by Charlotte B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.