Mothlite's second album ‘Dark Age’ is the 2012 follow-up to 2008’s ‘The Flax Of Reverie’ (Southern Records). Having spent a lot of time recently working as a collaborator in his many other projects, O’Sullivan felt it was time to return to Mothlite to work on something unequivocally personal:
“All the other things are collaborations and there’s a communal interest, but with Mothlite the content is quite personal and to do with me. It’s quite easy to neglect, particularly when you’re in a bit of a shit storm as I was the past couple of years.”
"This is prevalent in the lyrical content, which denotes a catharsis throughout a period of hysteria and emotional turmoil". He describes ‘Dark Age’ as “Dark megalomania, contradictions and paradoxes, and general bleakness”, yet rarely does such subject matter get delivered with the soaring pop aplomb as on the album’s twelve tracks, flitting from sparkle and rumble of ‘The Blood’ to the epic washes of ‘The Underneath’ and beyond.
Dark Age has allowed O’Sullivan to break free from the confines of genre, taking influence from the likes of Tears For Fears and Kate Bush from his parents’ record collection through the industrial and gothic textures of D.A.F., The Cure, Coil and Dead Can Dance to the hardcore punk of his own personal roots. Indeed, O’Sullivan’s use of contradiction within the style of the record is a very deliberate choice: “If it was too bleak, with melancholy overriding the whole thing, then I’d counteract it with a huge chorus or huge hook” O'Sullivan's chief collaborator in Mothlite is Norwegian producer Knut Jonas Sellevold (Elektrofant, King Knut). Arranger, composer and beat-maker of the highest order.
Now Dark Age is done, O’Sullivan is ready to move onto new things. “To be honest, I’m really glad that it’s over,” he says. “I felt like I couldn’t move until I got that out there.” As well as plans for a new Mothlite record, this forward surge includes exploring “ideas and schemes” as to how ‘Dark Age’ will transfer to the road. “Now that the drama has played out and everyone can see what it is, I can almost do a theatrical version of the scenes within. I don’t want to look as though I’m crying down the microphone night after night if we go on tour. I’d rather have a show.”
Dreamsinter Nightspore
Mothlite Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the blood
Or in the water
Like animals to the slaughter
A bright sun
The unborn daughter
Spinning
Screaming
Screaming but there is no sound
A violent child
Will take you
Hold you
In one place
Where innocence has been disgraced
But you will wake
A dreamsinter underground
A nightspore in the fairground
A paper-plane
A dolls-house on fire
To be saved
Or to be saved?
The song "Dreamsinter Nightspore" by Mothlite explores the themes of inheritance, trauma, and resilience. The first few lines of the song emphasize the idea that trouble can be inherited, whether it is in our blood or in our environment, and the consequences can be devastating. The lines "Like animals to the slaughter / A bright sun / The unborn daughter" suggest a sense of hopelessness and despair as we are all vulnerable to the violence and chaos of the world.
The next verses of the song describe the experience of someone who has been traumatized and is struggling to come to terms with what has happened. The lines "Spinning / Spinning around and around / Screaming / Screaming but there is no sound" vividly capture the disorienting and overwhelming nature of trauma that can leave us feeling trapped and voiceless. However, the final lines of the verse offer a glimpse of hope and resilience, as the subject of the song is encouraged to keep fighting and refuse to give up: "But you will wake".
The chorus of the song introduces the metaphors of "dreamsinter underground" and "nightspore in the fairground" that serve to deepen the sense of surrealism and otherworldliness that the song conveys. Along with the image of "A paper-plane / A dolls-house on fire", the song seems to suggest that the trauma we experience can often feel like a surreal, dreamlike nightmare. However, instead of being defeated by this nightmare, the singer seems to be asking: "To be saved / or to be saved?" This act of questioning suggests that, even in the face of unimaginable darkness, we have the agency to choose how we respond and how we move forward.
Line by Line Meaning
Inheritance of trouble
The problems of the past continue to affect us
In the blood
Passed on through generations
Or in the water
Or picked up from the environment we grew up in
Like animals to the slaughter
Helpless and unaware of the dangers around us
A bright sun
A glimmer of hope amidst the darkness
The unborn daughter
The future generation that will have to face the consequences of our actions
Spinning
Lost in the chaos of life
Spinning around and around
Feeling trapped and unable to break free
Screaming
Desperately trying to communicate
Screaming but there is no sound
Feeling unheard and ignored
A violent child
The product of a violent environment
Will take you
Will drag you into their world
Hold you
And keep you captive
In one place
No escape
Where innocence has been disgraced
Where purity has been corrupted and destroyed
But you will wake
But there is hope for redemption
A dreamsinter underground
A gateway to the subconscious
A nightspore in the fairground
An otherworldly experience that can be both beautiful and terrifying
A paper-plane
A symbol of childhood innocence and simplicity
A dolls-house on fire
Destroyed dreams and aspirations
To be saved
The possibility of salvation and redemption
Or to be saved?
Or is it too late?
Contributed by Cooper R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.