Paatos is a Swedish rock band that was formed in 2000 by Reine Fiske(follow… Read Full Bio ↴Paatos is a Swedish rock band that was formed in 2000 by Reine Fiske(followed up by Peter Nylander), and Stefan Dimle (both previous members of Landberk and current members of Morte Macabre), Petronella Nettermalm, Ricard Nettermalm(Puckspony) and Johan Wallen. Paatos is usually classified as progressive rock, albeit influenced by bands such as Portishead and Massive Attack.

Paatos has been categorized as Melancholic Post-Rock. This could be a description as good as any other. The Swedish band based in Stockholm has many influenses. The sum of Sigur Ros, Bjork, Radiohead, Pink Floyd, Can, early Bowie, and many more, plus the inevitable affect of the Swedish constant state of melancholy and lack of sun during a better part of the year, creates its own voice. Ultimately it just needs to speak to you as a human being.

The five members of Paatos have varied musical backgrounds which they bring into the studio and rehearsals when the music is composed. The beauty is that this creates music that none of the members could accomplish on their own, as well as being a very unifying process for the band. One attitude which is nurtured is not paying too much attention to idiomatic aspects of style and other forms of do's and don'ts. An open mind can open many doors. And it's certainly a lot more fun!

some history:

Paatos was formed in August 2000. Stefan Dimle, Huxflux Nettermalm, Johan Wallén and Paatos' former guitarist Reine Fiske, were engaged to play a concert with Swedish folk rock singer Turid which resulted in a great wish to continue and work towards something more permanent. Paatos was thus born, at this point only as an instrumental band. After a few gigs Paatos was joined on vocals by Petronella Nettermalm.

Paatos records its first single, Perception, in spring 2001 which was the followed by the debut album Timeloss released early autumn 2002. At this point Paatos is playing more and more frequently. Guitarist Reine leaves the band and is replaced by Peter Nylander, Paatos' current guitarist.

While on a short tour in Germany and Belgium in summer 2003, Paatos had a meeting with Thomas Waber at Insideout Music. This meeting culminated in Paatos signing a deal with the label and to start working on the second album.

The second album, Kallocain, is recorded and subsequently mixed by Steven Wilson. This collaboration began with Paatos playing a few gigs with Porcupine Tree when they were on tour in Sweden. The prospect of Steven mixing Kallocain was fantastic as was Steven's magic to be heard in the final result.

After some touring around Europe, Paatos starts working on their third album, Silence of Another Kind, released spring 2006. From touring more and more, the music started to take on a slightly heavier tone, something which affected the music on this recording. The love for mesmerizing trans-like grooving landscapes was still there, but also the wish to create strong contrast.

Paatos writes collectively in their own studio, The Green Genie, in Stockholm. The fact that five different musical backgrounds and lives contribute ideas, makes for a sound that mixes and moves organically between worlds where boundaries and thresholds are blurred.

Paatos has toured with a.o.: the Gathering, Porcupine Tree, Lo-Ego

http://www.paatos.com

http://www.myspace.com/paatos

Holding On
Paatos Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I don't wanna feel this way
-alone again
Suddenly I leaked and life ran dry
I don't wanna feel this leak
Inside myself
Tried to walk away
And never said goodbye

I'm broken
I'm broken inside
I'm hurting
And I just can't let go

I'm holding on
I keep holding on (x2)

I don't wanna move this way
-all left behind
Wish that I could let it go
I'm on my way

I'm broken
I'm broken inside
I'm hurting
And I just can't let go

I'm holding on
I keep holding on (x2, then x2)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Paatos's "Holding On" express the pain of heartbreak and the difficulty of letting go. The singer does not want to feel the emptiness and loneliness of being alone again, but also cannot bear the leak inside themselves - perhaps referring to the emotional vulnerability and pain they are feeling. The lines "Tried to walk away / And never said goodbye" suggest that the end of the relationship was sudden and possibly traumatic, leaving the singer feeling broken and hurting.

In the chorus, the singer repeats the phrase "I'm holding on" to suggest that even though they know they should let go and move on, they are unable to. The repetition of this line emphasizes the difficulty and struggle of breaking away from something that once brought comfort and happiness. In the second verse, the singer wishes that they could let go and move on from the past, but feels stuck and left behind. The final two repetitions of the chorus show that the singer is still holding on, even as they acknowledge the pain that comes with it.

Overall, the lyrics of "Holding On" speak to the universal struggle of heartbreak and the difficulty of accepting and moving on from it. The repetition of the chorus reinforces the idea that the process of letting go is often a long and difficult one.

Line by Line Meaning

I don't wanna feel this way
I do not want to experience these emotions

-alone again
feeling lonely once again

Suddenly I leaked and life ran dry
I suddenly lost all motivation and desire to continue with life

I don't wanna feel this leak
I don't want to experience this emotional or motivational leak

Inside myself
Within my emotional and mental state

Tried to walk away
Attempted to leave the situation

And never said goodbye
Left without saying farewell or explanation

I'm broken
I am emotionally and mentally shattered

I'm broken inside
My inner self is damaged and in turmoil

I'm hurting
I am in emotional pain and distress

And I just can't let go
I am struggling to move on or forget