The group was founded in May 1988 by Mike Van Portfleet, in the summer of that year Will Welch joined the project. In November, Welch was replaced by John Fair. In 1989, "Wake" was recorded, defining their droning ethereal guitar sound.
John Fair left Lycia in 1990, and Will Welch returned. In the same year Lycia signed to Projekt Records and released "Ionia" in late 1991 after aborting the original first release, titled "Byzantine". They became one of the cornerstones of the Projekt label for over a decade, and one of the most influential bands in the American darkwave scene in the 1990s. They forged a relentlessly dark and driving sound with a wall of shimmery guitars and keyboards, pounding drums, overlaid by Van Portfleet's unmistakable whispered vocals.
1992 saw the release of "A Day in the Stark Corner" and Lycia began its first live appearances. In 1993 David Galas became a permanent member, and their sound evolved with a more mature and polished depth.
In 1994 Tara Vanflower, being a huge fan of the band, decided to meet Mike, and joined as backing vocalist contributing vocals on a couple of songs that were supposed to be for compilation appearances, but ended up on "The Burning Circle and Then Dust" (1995). Tara Vanflower and Mike VanPortfleet married two years later.
The band's sound became comparatively less dark, especially on their final two albums, "Tripping Back Into the Broken Days" and "Empty Space", mostly due to Vanflower's influence. This shift away from their original sound alienated some long-time fans and eventually Lycia broke up in 2003, with Van Portfleet pursuing a solo career.
Lycia reformed in August of 2006 with Mike Vanportfleet, Tara VanFlower and David Galas. "We’ve been slowly working on new material. This time, what we are doing is each of us are bringing in our own songs and then expanding from the initial ideas".
On December 2012, Lycia announced a new release, "Quiet Moments", through their Facebook page. It was released in August 2013.
Discography:
1989 - Wake
1991 - Ionia
1993 - A Day in the Stark Corner
1995 - Live
1995 - The Burning Circle and Then Dust
1997 - Cold
1998 - Estrella
2000 - The Time Has Come and Gone (originally released as under the name Estraya)
2001 - Compilation Appearances, Vol. 1
2001 - Compilation Appearances, Vol. 2
2002 - Tripping Back into the Broken Days
2004 - Empty Spaces
2010 - Fifth Sun (EP)
2013 - Quiet Moments
2015 - A Line That Connects
2018 - In Flickers
Side projects
Bleak - Vane (1994) really just Lycia recording under a different name and exploring a "harsher" sound.
Estraya - The Time Has Come and Gone (2000) accoustic side project with Van Portfleet and Vanflower
Desert
Lycia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I surmise just everything, I desire nothing
I need to go back to the desert, so I can feel new again
I need to go back to the desert, so I can feel fresh again
Don't care about anything
Don't care about everything, anything
Don't care about anything, except for the desert
And then I climb from this world
And stand under her brilliant blue
I am cleansed, cleansed by the desert
Then isolation builds, and I want to escape from this desert
Then desolation burns, and I just want to sin again
Hate, love, hope, greed, lust, fate, loss, need
Grief, trust, truth, lies, pain, want, days, time
Fades away
In Lycia's song "Desert," the singer reflects on their perceptive abilities and how they need to return to the desert to feel new and fresh once again. The singer is detached from everything and desires nothing except for the desert. By standing in the brilliant blue of the desert, the singer feels cleansed. However, isolation eventually builds, and the singer wants to escape from the desert. They become burned by desolation and want to sin again. The song ends with a list of various emotions and experiences that fade away over time.
Overall, Lycia's "Desert" seems to express a longing for escape and renewal. The desert serves as a symbol for the singer's desires and emotional state. The lyrics also suggest a melancholic tone as the singer moves back and forth between feeling cleansed and isolated.
Line by Line Meaning
I reflect everything, I perceive it all
I am acutely aware of my surroundings and can sense everything in my environment
I surmise just everything, I desire nothing
I am able to come to conclusions about everything in my surroundings, but I am not driven by greed or longing
I need to go back to the desert, so I can feel new again
In order to refresh my spirit and renew my sense of self, I must return to a stark and untouched natural environment
I need to go back to the desert, so I can feel fresh again
By returning to the desert, I hope to shake off the weight of civilization and reclaim a sense of purity and primal existence
Don't care about anything
Objectively, nothing in my life has enough sense of importance to overshadow my desires for inner peace and solitude
Don't care about everything, anything
I am completely disinterested in material possessions, social obligations, or the opinions of others
Don't care about anything, except for the desert
Despite my disavowal of civilization, the desert holds a special significance for me and I am strongly drawn to it
And then I climb from this world
My journey to the desert represents a departure from the mundane reality of everyday life
And head straight out to the desert
The desert is the refuge where I find the balance and clarity which eludes me in everyday life
And stand under her brilliant blue
The vast expanse of the open sky is a cathartic experience that heightens my senses and sense of insignificance
I am cleansed, cleansed by the desert
The isolation and rawness of the desert purges my soul of impurity and renews my sense of self
Then isolation builds, and I want to escape from this desert
As the isolation of the desert extends, it begins to feel oppressive and I begin to long for the society which I have left behind
Then desolation burns, and I just want to sin again
The barrenness of the desert begins to devour my sense of meaning and I begin to long once again for the pleasures of the flesh
Hate, love, hope, greed, lust, fate, loss, need
These abstract emotions and concepts hold no meaning in the context of the raw and primal natural environment of the desert
Grief, trust, truth, lies, pain, want, days, time
These complex and multifaceted aspects of human experience seem insignificant in contrast with the harsh purity of the desert
Fades away
The desert and its purity is a fleeting and transient experience that fades away over time
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
mikeE
one of my favorite lycia songs . makes me feel whole again.
Bruno Bucciarati
This whole damn album is a wonderful, gritty labyrinth. You'll want to be gliding through it forever.
Christopher Bowen
Mike VanPortfleet is amazing!!! LYCIA are incredible.
Eric Jack Daniels
I have never heard a better intro in my life
Leslie Schmidt
this whole album is so fabulous.
King Green
you fuckin said it man!
Katherine Diaz
Lycia forever listening to them since the 90s. This is one of my favorites.
Ingrid Desv
My song for always...
In Limbo
Great song.
Love lycia
mistresselyria
la banda sonora de mis viajes al desierto de Atacama