"Right now I feel like exploding!" they sing at the start of 'Keep Me', the lead-off single, over a lovely blizzard of shoegazing guitars, twinkling keys and sweet vocals. It’s a classic indie formula which runs riot through this six-track mini-album because, working on the heroically simple philosophy of writing pop songs with loud guitars, Pesky! have come up with a sound which mixes the youthful naivete of Kenickie with the harmonic lushness of, well, Lush.
Unsurprisingly 'Smells Like Tween Spirit' is their first ever release. We say ‘unsurprisingly’, because Pesky! are still at school. In fact, what is pretty hecking remarkable about this entire heavily charmed project is that most of Pesky! are 12 years old. And the ones who aren't 12 - namely guitarists Kate and Joseph - are even younger, both being 11. Recognize their age – it’s a tweenage rampage.
Indeed, Pesky! are an off-shoot from Croftlands Junior School Guitar Club (itself not an entirely shoddy indie band name), which was an after-school club put together to teach guitar basics to children ranging from 7 to 11 years old. Eschewing the traditional school classics (cf 'She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain', 'Lily The Pink') the kids started learning classics by The Beatles and Beastie Boys. Although this caused the odd raised eyebrow at the school summer concert and sent some of the younger children home crying it definitely fuelled the kids' enthusiasm for more of the same.
As their confidence and skills developed, it became apparent that something special was slowly but surely bubbling to the service. It began with singer Megan, who brought her first attempts at song-writing to the group where it transpired she had a real talent for squeezing a marvellous melody out of a couple of simple chords. Spurred on by this, both guitarist Kate and co-vocalist Niamh started writing and bringing songs to the table as well, and the seed of the band was starting to germinate.
There Pesky! cobbled together those pop tunes with loud guitars (the louder the better) and a keyboard, because they had one. Rehearsals were limited to one hour a week to fit in with homework, Scouts and dance club and consisted of writing songs and eating sweets...sometimes more of the latter than the former. Then they set up in a classroom and over a weekend recorded 'Smells Like Tween Spirit' on an iPad. Sounds simple, right? Right.
And that is why 'Smells Like Tween Spirit' is coming out on July 24th, the first Friday of the summer holidays, because schoooool's out forever.
Or at least until the start of next term…
Keep Me
Pesky Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ce vent qui vous caresse
Prestement la joue
Des provinces andalouses
Et panaméricaines
Ce vent suave est si doux
Madame je jalouse
Madame je jalouse
Ce vent qui vous caresse la joue!
En ces provinces andalouses
Lui vient se poser contre votre peau d'acajou
Quand je reste à Paname...
Oh oui
Oh oui
Oh oui!
A chaque missive l'avouerais-je
A chaque missive l'avouerais-je
Je crains de vous causer l'ennui
Et cette attente comme un missile
Endolorit ma tête grège
Endolorit ma tête grège
Que deux fois passe le jour
Et vienne la nuit
Passe le jour
Et vienne la nuit!
...
Ouais, vienne la nuit
Que tu me reviennes toi sur l'autre rive!
Es-tu avec un autre?
Les choses nous échappent
Pourquoi les retenir
Par le bout de l'écharpe?
Si vite devenir
Étranges, étrangers l'un à l'autre
Au cou le souvenir étrangle...
Et je reste à Paname
Oh oui
Oh oui
Oh oui!
Native des contrées
Où Cortés est venu
Trouver haine et fortune
Tu sais de mémoire ancienne
Te méfier des braves
de leur soif inopportune!
Combien de lâches sont venus ici
Courir chimères à coup de fusils?
Ivres de gloire ont-ils pensé que ton coeur
Serait conquis percé de flèches et de rancoeur
Comme tes côtes mexicaines!
De Malinche, de Malinche
Il n'y en aura qu'une
Oh oui
Oh oui
Oh oui!
The song "Keep Me" by Pesky features French lyrics in the beginning and an English verse towards the end, with a French interjection in between. The French lyrics describe the singer's jealousy towards a "suave" and "doux" wind that lightly caresses a person's cheeks in provinces of Andalusia and Pan-America. The singer expresses their fear of causing boredom in a letter to someone, and the waiting only causes pain in their head. They wonder if the person they are writing to is with someone else, but ultimately conclude that things slip away from us and we cannot hold onto them by the edge of a scarf.
The lyrics provide an interesting mix of cultural references, such as referencing Cortés and Malinche, who are significant figures in Mexican history. The singer also compares themselves to a wind that is envious of another's touch, adding an element of personification to the lyrics. The use of language can be seen as a metaphor for the singer's longing for someone or something that they cannot have, but can only observe from a distance.
Line by Line Meaning
Madame je jalouse
Madame, I am jealous
Ce vent qui vous caresse
This wind that caresses you
Prestement la joue
Swiftly on the cheek
Des provinces andalouses
From Andalusian provinces
Et panaméricaines
And Panamerican ones
Ce vent suave est si doux
This sweet wind is so soft
En ces provinces andalouses
In those Andalusian provinces
Lui vient se poser contre votre peau d'acajou
It comes to settle on your mahogany skin
Quand je reste à Paname...
When I stay in Panama...
A chaque missive l'avouerais-je
With each missive shall I confess
Je crains de vous causer l'ennui
I fear I may bore you
Et cette attente comme un missile
And this waiting like a missile
Endolorit ma tête grège
Aches my gray head
Que deux fois passe le jour
That twice the day passes
Et vienne la nuit
And the night comes
Passe le jour
The day passes
Et vienne la nuit!
And the night comes!
...
Ouais, vienne la nuit
Yeah, let the night come
Que tu me reviennes toi sur l'autre rive!
That you come back to me on the other shore
Es-tu avec un autre?
Are you with someone else?
Les choses nous échappent
Things slip from our grasp
Pourquoi les retenir
Why hold onto them
Par le bout de l'écharpe?
By the tip of the scarf?
Si vite devenir
So quickly becoming
Étranges, étrangers l'un à l'autre
Strangers, strangers to each other
Au cou le souvenir étrangle...
The memory strangles at the neck
Et je reste à Paname
And I remain in Panama
Native des contrées
Native of the lands
Où Cortés est venu
Where Cortés came
Trouver haine et fortune
To find hatred and fortune
Tu sais de mémoire ancienne
You know from ancient memory
Te méfier des braves
To distrust the brave
De leur soif inopportune!
Of their untimely thirst!
Combien de lâches sont venus ici
How many cowards have come here
Courir chimères à coup de fusils?
Pursuing chimeras with guns?
Ivres de gloire ont-ils pensé que ton coeur
Drunk with glory, did they think your heart
Serait conquis percé de flèches et de rancoeur
Would be conquered pierced by arrows and resentment
Comme tes côtes mexicaines!
Like your Mexican coasts!
De Malinche, de Malinche
Of Malinche, of Malinche
Il n'y en aura qu'une
There will only be one
Oh oui
Oh yes
Oh oui
Oh yes
Oh oui!
Oh yes!
Contributed by Anthony N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.