Mothlite is Daniel O’Sullivan (born 1 December 1980), a multi-instrumenta… Read Full Bio ↴Mothlite is Daniel O’Sullivan (born 1 December 1980), a multi-instrumentalist/composer from Manchester. He is best known for playing in experimental art-rock bands such as Grumbling Fur, Æthenor, Miasma & The Carousel Of Headless Horses, Miracle, Guapo and Ulver. Mothlite is his solo project, although he is assisted by a loose collective of musicians.

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.”

Milk
Mothlite Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Two hearts
Beating Inside
The sickness of suicide

And the blood spills
And the milk’s red
Some folded clothes in a space

Light streams falling
But that’s too long to wait
Life’s dreams falling
But that’s too long to wait

An animal
A murmur
A teardrop
Another

The last photograph I have of you

And the blood spills
And the milk’s red

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of the song "Milk" by Mothlite carry a painful and despairing theme. The words convey a sense of deep sadness and helplessness that engulfs a person when they come face to face with the possibility of suicide. The first two lines of the lyrics, "Two hearts, Beating Inside, The sickness of suicide" suggest that the struggle is not just with one's own thoughts and feelings, but also with the feelings of loved ones. There could be a sense of despair within the heart of an individual and one can see and feel every inch of it. The metaphor of "blood" and "milk" creates an image of a scene of horror where the whole world seems to be dissolving into one with no clear distinction between the good and the bad. The phrase "life’s dreams falling" serves as a stark reminder of how the darkness engulfs us and leaves us feeling helpless.

The lyrics also convey a sense of frustration. The image of "light streams falling but that's too long to wait" implies that the solutions are too far away and everything seems hopeless. The phrase "An animal, A murmur, A teardrop, Another" gives a sense of uncontrollable emotions and bewilderment in the face of death. The last two lines of the song, "The last photograph I have of you, And the blood spills, And the milk’s red" conveys a sense of bitter loss, regret and a deep sense of grief. The lines could be interpreted as a lament where the singer regrets not being able to save their loved one from the darkness.

Line by Line Meaning

Two hearts
Two souls intertwined

Beating Inside
Existing within

The sickness of suicide
The dark thoughts of death and taking one's own life

And the blood spills
Violence and pain

And the milk’s red
Life essence flowing

Some folded clothes in a space
Remnants of a life left behind

Light streams falling
Hopeful rays shining down

But that’s too long to wait
Time doesn't always heal

Life’s dreams falling
Hopes and aspirations dwindling

An animal
A beast within

A murmur
A quiet whisper