They make mostly indie and indie-electronica music. They have a facebook, https://www.facebook.com/photocomfort/timeline, and a website, http://www.photocomfortmusic.com/.
Photocomfort is the platform for Boston-based artist Justine Bowe’s careful, expansive pop. After a slew of singles receiving support from the likes of The Guardian and Zane Lowe, plus opportunities to share the stage with Whitney, Beirut, Glass Animals, St. Lucia and Yumi Zouma. Her new EP, “Understudy,” is out now. Recorded in a cabin on Lake Winnipesaukee with help from members of Philadelphia psych-pop outfit Carroll, the EP positions Bowe as an exacting songwriter, producer and performer. She borrows as much from 90’s radio heroes like Alanis Morissette and Dido, as she does from Radiohead and Solange Knowles. Huge vocal hooks soar over nimble arrangements, presenting the self-doubt and isolation born from the pursuit of “the dream” of being an artist as harrowing, irresistible, and irresistibly catchy.
Not Love
Photocomfort Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where they turn something into nothing
Unless that "something" is a worry
But that's not where we are
We are
It's not love
It's not lo-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-ove
It's not love
They did not teach you gentleness
In the lessons that brought you
The binding knots and how to tie your shoes
Given the choice, you'd eat the fruit
seeds, core, stem and all
and all
Clearly, I've got nothing but time
recast in the past
It's a vicious, yet passing bruise
Clearly, I've got nothing but time
To exact the necessary expressions of sincerity from you
It's not love
It's not lo-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-ove
It's not love
It's not lo-ove
Clean out your teeth
Those can be hard
Pinching the Skin
Plucking at strays
Pleading with it
Crushing it, Parting it
Startlingly marking in pen
And prove, in skin print pressed blue hues
I read this book about you when you're gone
Clearly, I've got nothing but time
recast in the past
It's a vicious, yet passing bruise
Clearly, I've got nothing but time
To exact the necessary expressions of sincerity from you
Lately I've got nothing but time
Lately I've got nothing but time
It's not love
It's not lo-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-ove
It's not love, but it is still ours
It is still ours
It is still lost
The song "Not Love" by Photocomfort is a contemplative piece about a relationship that lacks love. The singer can't pinpoint a place where something turns into nothing, and the only thing that seems to do so are worries - indicating the fleeting and superficial nature of this particular relationship. The line "they did not teach you gentleness" speaks to the partner's roughness and the lack of tenderness in their actions, possibly due to their upbringing, and the "binding knots and how to tie your shoes" suggests something more sinister in their past. The choice to eat the fruit "seeds, core, stem, and all" symbolizes the partner's willingness to take in everything, even the unpleasant parts, and the acceptance of the flawed nature of the relationship.
The following lines depict the singer's need for sincerity and a genuine emotional connection in the relationship, and their acknowledgement that they have nothing but time to try and achieve it. "Clean out your teeth/Those can be hard/Pinching the Skin/Plucking at strays/Pleading with it/Crushing it, Parting it/Startingly marking in pen/And prove, in skin print pressed blue hues" describes a somewhat painful process of improvement, but it is necessary to create something that can last. Finally, the line "I read this book about you when you're gone" implies that the singer has a certain foresight about the end of the relationship - the partner will leave, or the relationship will dissolve. Though it is difficult to accept the lack of love, the final lines of the song suggest a bittersweet acceptance of the situation.
Line by Line Meaning
I cannot think of a good place
I am struggling to find a comfortable and ideal place in life
Where they turn something into nothing
Where things that were important to me before become insignificantly small
Unless that "something" is a worry
Unless the thing is a concern, which is something that is hard to diminish
But that's not where we are
We are not in a place where worries are the only things that matter
We are
We exist in this moment together
It's not love
Our relationship is not built on love
It's not lo-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-ove
Our relationship is not built on a strong emotional attachment
They did not teach you gentleness
The lessons you've learned did not teach you to be kind and tender
In the lessons that brought you
In the teachings that were introduced to you
The binding knots and how to tie your shoes
You were taught how to bind things together and how to do practical tasks
Given the choice, you'd eat the fruit
If you had the option, you would consume something completely, without wasting any part of it
seeds, core, stem and all
This includes all parts, including the parts that are typically discarded or ignored
Clearly, I've got nothing but time
I have an abundance of time to spend
recast in the past
Frequently analyzing and revisiting past memories and events
It's a vicious, yet passing bruise
The pain and wound from our relationship is intense, but it will eventually diminish over time
To exact the necessary expressions of sincerity from you
I am trying to get you to show that you truly and honestly care
Clean out your teeth
Ensure that you are completely clear and truthful
Those can be hard
It can be difficult to ensure that you are being truthful
Pinching the Skin
Trying to get a reaction or some sort of feedback
Plucking at strays
Focusing on small and seemingly insignificant details in order to gather information
Pleading with it
Begging for it to be true and genuine
Crushing it, Parting it
Breaking down barriers and revealing what is truly underneath
Startlingly marking in pen
Making definitive actions or statements that cannot be erased or forgotten
And prove, in skin print pressed blue hues
Leaving a permanent mark to prove that the emotions are genuine and not fleeting
I read this book about you when you're gone
Reflecting on your life and our relationship after you've left
Lately I've got nothing but time
Recently, my life has only consisted of leftover time
It's not love, but it is still ours
Our connection is not based on love, but it is still something we have together
It is still ours
Our relationship still belongs to us, and it is still something we share
It is still lost
Our connection has disappeared and is no longer present
Contributed by Kaitlyn G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Andrew Mitchell
photocomfort, I got the feeling of this song that I only get from music maybe once a year. It’s like it opens up another part of my ears that I haven’t experience yet. I’ll be following you guys.
This is good music.
Kyro
Really refreshing to hear something different like this! Sounds great!
Reinalto
Miss you in the Magic Man comp... But you're doing a incrediable job during this years!!
Blunder Butt
Her voice is so adorable.
pseudogenesis
This hook lives in my head rent-free
IronDBZ
This is amazing
Jon Nuncio
Feels like having a thousand bucks and a week off in the ocean
FinalAffliction
Fuck..... I dig this it's so addicting
Little Hero
incredible, thank you
riro
I'm in love!