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.”

The Underneath
Mothlite Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Woke from a dream
That left me
Open and sore
Until my mind looks down and sees the day before

So many times
Your light
Has passed me by

I knew it was around like the sun behind clouds

Every second I mistake
For another
Faces from another life are lost at sea

I see colours change
When I reach towards the opening
The underneath of love
Is crawling
Across the sand
Of beaches left alone in time with no footprints

Staring at the sky
It’s burning

Ice is melting
Words of disbelief are murmured through the crowd

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Mothlite's song The Underneath depict a dream-like state where the singer is left feeling exposed and vulnerable. The dream appears to have shaken them and as they wake up, they try to gather their thoughts, reflecting on the day before. The singer appears to have missed opportunities to connect with someone, perhaps a romantic interest, or just a missed connection with someone they deeply care about. Despite having an awareness of their presence, they appear to have just missed connecting with them, like the sun obscured by passing clouds.

The lyrics then shift to a surreal image of being lost at sea, with faces from another life drifting away. As the singer reaches into the opening, a metaphor for a new opportunity, they see colors change, indicating a newfound hope. However, the sense of optimism is fleeting as the "underneath of love" crawls across the beach with no one in sight, and time has left no footprints. As the singer continues to stare at the sky, their environment is changing rapidly with words of disbelief murmured through the crowd, perhaps signaling the end of an era or social upheaval.

Line by Line Meaning

Woke from a dream
I awakened from a dream

That left me
Which caused me to feel

Open and sore
Exposed and aching

Until my mind looks down and sees the day before
And remembered yesterday

So many time
Frequently

Your light
Your presence

Has passed me by
Has gone unnoticed by me

I knew it was around like the sun behind clouds
Although I couldn't see it, I knew it was there

Every second I mistake
I confuse every moment

For another
With another similar moment

Faces from another life are lost at sea
I can't remember people from my past