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
Fate
Lycia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you can't seem to stop digging this grave
'Cause you were only eighteen at the time
And I was holding up these streets just fine
Come on, oh, come on
Place me on your scene and I'll take
No, it wasn't just words
(No, it wasn't just words)
But day after day after day
I call that fate
Oh, darling I've been thinking about you
And you are thinking how much fun it was
Filling up our lungs
But don't you just see what's happened?
Yeah, we never stay lonely, come on
Place me on your scene and I'll take
Everything that you ever said to me
No, it wasn't just words
(No, it wasn't just words)
But day after day after day
I call that fate
(I can't bare to see you)
Place me on your scene and I'll take
(Staring at the ceiling)
Everything that you ever said to me
No, it wasn't just words
(No, it wasn't just words)
Day after day after day
I call that
(I can't bare to see you)
Place me on your scene and I'll take
(Staring at the ceiling)
Everything that you ever said to me
No, it wasn't just words
(No, it wasn't just words)
Day after day after day
I call that fate
The lyrics of Lycia's song Fate present a story of two individuals who have parted ways and now have different perspectives on their past relationship. The first verse displays a sleepless mind that can't stop thinking and reliving past events. While the second line describes how the other person is digging a grave, signifying the pain they are going through by staying stuck in their thoughts. The chorus implies that fate brought the two individuals together, and the relationship they had was not just about words spoken. It was something that occurred day after day, and now they are both dealing with the consequences of their actions.
The second verse starts with the singer thinking about their former lover and how they remember the fun times the two had shared. But they also realize that both are still dealing with the aftermath of their separation. The next two lines directly address the other party and ask them to 'see what's happened' - the pain and loneliness they're feeling. The chorus repeats, emphasizing the inevitability of fate that brought them together and now keeps them apart.
The song Fate is about the impact of a past relationship and the lingering feelings from that relationship. The lyrics are open-ended, leaving the listener to imagine what happened in the past relationship and why they are no longer together. Lycia chooses to focus on the aftermath of the breakup rather than the details of the relationship, which allows the listener to relate to the feelings being expressed.
Line by Line Meaning
It's just, it's just I can't seem to fall asleep these days
I am having trouble sleeping lately.
And you can't seem to stop digging this grave
You can't stop making things worse for yourself.
'Cause you were only eighteen at the time
You were young and naive back then.
And I was holding up these streets just fine
I was doing well on my own.
Come on, oh, come on
Encouragement to keep going.
Place me on your scene and I'll take
I will be present in your life, and I will listen to you.
Everything that you ever said to me
I will remember everything you told me.
No, it wasn't just words
Your words had meaning and impacted me deeply.
(No, it wasn't just words)
Reiteration of the above statement.
But day after day after day
This is a constant in my life.
I call that fate
This is the course that my life was meant to take.
Oh, darling I've been thinking about you
I have been thinking about you often.
And you are thinking how much fun it was
You remember the good times we had together.
Filling up our lungs
Taking deep breaths and enjoying life.
But don't you just see what's happened?
You don't realize the current situation.
Yeah, we never stay lonely, come on
We have each other and can get through this together.
(I can't bare to see you)
I can't bear to see you suffer.
(Staring at the ceiling)
Unable to sleep, thinking about everything.
Contributed by Christian C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
524
like memories from another lifetime. this song is unlike anything else
Kote Kutalia
Very lovely band , can't stop listening to this <3
Takeshi Marufuji
@Kote Kutalia yeah, same here. I listen to all of those bands, except Joyless. Haven’t listened to much of their music, but the other two there I certainly have. Both Xasthur and Shape of Despair introduced me to Lycia, since Shape of Despair did a cover of Estrella. Lycia is beautiful, isn’t it? I can definitely see the influence they had on Xasthur for sure.
Kote Kutalia
@Takeshi Marufuji haha, right, the cover of Frozen introduced me to Lycia. Actually Xasthur introduced me to multiple great bands - Leviathan, Forgotten Woods, Joyless and etc.
Takeshi Marufuji
Nice to see you here, Kote! Find them through Xasthur, I’m assuming?
JustinOsbo
I love this this album from Lycia.