Initially started by Steve and Chuck as a trio in 2005 in Compton, California, the band underwent a series of member changes and instrument swaps before landing on the perfect lineup of Chuck (vocals), Colin (drums), his brother Eric (guitar/vocals), Shaun (guitar) and Steve (bass/vocals)—and they haven't looked back since. After gaining a local following performing with Authority Zero and Guttermouth and building an enthusiastic fanbase in California, the group entered the studio in 2007 to record their debut full-length, Suiticide. "We barely had enough money for a week in the studio and that album is pretty much a live CD," Colin explains, adding that his drum tracks were cut in one take. "It was a good learning experience and we're proud of it."
From there the band started playing even bigger shows with acts like Strung Out, the Adicts, the Expendables and Death By Stereo and before they knew it, they had sold more copies of Suiticide than they ever imagined they would. As luck would have it, Colin's father was a studio musician and friend of Strung Out's drummer Jordan Burns and eventually Colin convinced Strung Out to let Pour Habit open for them. Pour Habit's impressive arrangements, infectious energy and mind-boggling musicianship made Burns an instant fan/cheerleader and he passed the band's CD onto Fat Wreck Chords owner and NOFX frontman Fat Mike who signed the band in 2009 after watching them play a handful of dates opening for his own band.
"Fat Mike told us that he was expecting to like two or three songs but he said it was a great album that he could release as it was before he put us in the studio," Colin says sounding like he still can't quite believe the band's good fortune. "I'm still kind of overwhelmed by the whole thing." Listening to Suiticide, it's no surprise that Mike wanted to re-release the disc. In fact, from ultra-tight, metal-tinged melodic rock anthems like "Light The Torch," which recall SoCal acts like Ignite to frenzied thrash masterpieces like "Bad Luck Drunk" to sinister sounding hardcore tracks like "Hell Bent," Suiticide harkens back to the early days of the Fat Wreck Chords sound and manages to unify seemingly disparate punk subgenres into a unique amalgam of music that'll instantly get the lead of out today's subdued circle pits.
"When Suiticide came out you have to realize that we were just kind of getting our songs together and our members were into everything from Guttermouth to Pantera, so it was us trying to find that in-between," Colin responds when asked about the album's original sound. "Through that we realized, 'Let's just do whatever we want to do and if it's a simple three-chord Green Day pop song or a crazy Meshuggah wannabe song who cares? Let's do whatever we can do and if it rocks, it rocks.'" It certainly does rock—and the good news is that the band already have another collection songs written that they'll be recording this summer. However in the meantime you'll be able to catch them on tour spreading their brand of punk to the masses and continuing to win crowds over one fan at a time.
"Fat Mike ruined me and my brother's lives," Colin summarizes with a laugh. "If it wasn't for Fat Wreck Chords, I'd probably be working a steady job, but because of those bastards this is my life and there's no way I could ever quit or stop. None of us could and that's the thing—the five of us are so plugged into each other that we're really best friends and that's why we're so dedicated to making this work," he continues, adding that the band have never brought in outside management because they're happy to be involved in even the most mundane aspects of being in a band. "We're looking toward the future and we just want to keep growing and meeting good people and always moving forward."
Institution
Pour Habit Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Want to rip it, I can't take it
I throw a fist in this institution
Too many lies are sold for nothing
Independent, start the movement
We want to start our own revolution
You can take these rules and shove it
We won't conform to be accepted
(I won't be conformed accepted)
Suffered too long desperate for a change
You and I stand, united
Suffered too long desperate for a change
You and I stand, united
Suffered too long desperate for a change
Hollow casings, chromatic magnums
Put bullets in this constitution
Of written lies that kill their own kind
We're the people, it's the people
We're the people that run this country
Scraps for a billion as they build their fortune
You and I stand, united
Suffered too long desperate for a change
You and I stand, united
Suffered too long desperate for a change
We won't take this, this institution
Too many lies are sold for nothing
We won't take this, this institution
We will united
Every time that you can always see
You wanna see the light
But you can never ever see the day
You can only see the day when
You choose to see the light
Because of this institution
The song "Institution" by Pour Habit expresses a discontent towards the current societal norms and the institution in place that perpetuates them. The opening lines "Don't wanna be a part of this institution, Want to rip it, I can't take it" establishes a strong opposition towards the established norms and a desire for change. The lyrics "Too many lies are sold for nothing, Independent, start the movement" highlights the disillusionment towards the system and the need to break away from it.
The song also mentions the people's power to bring about change through unity, "You and I stand, united, Suffered too long desperate for a change." The lyrics "Scraps for a billion as they build their fortune" indicates the wealth disparity caused by the system as the rich get richer while the common people suffer.
The chorus, "We won't take this, this institution, Too many lies are sold for nothing, We won't take this, this institution, We will unite," is a rallying call for people to unite and bring about change. The song ends with an optimistic message, "You can only see the day when You choose to see the light Because of this institution," indicating that through the struggle against the system, a day of change will come.
Overall, "Institution" by Pour Habit is a powerful anti-establishment song that encourages people to take a stand against the established norms and bring about change through unity.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't want to be a part of this institution
I do not want to be a member of this organization.
Want to rip it, I can't take it
I want to destroy it because I cannot endure it any longer.
I throw a fist in this institution
I am ready to fight against this establishment.
Too many lies are sold for nothing
They sell too many falsehoods with no real value.
Independent, start the movement
We will begin our own independent rebellion.
We want to start our own revolution
We desire to cause a revolution on our own terms.
You can take these rules and shove it
I reject your rules and orders.
(You can take these rules and shove it)
We reject your rules and orders.
We won't conform to be accepted
We refuse to change to be accepted.
(I won't be conformed accepted)
I will not change myself to be accepted.
Suffered too long desperate for a change
We have suffered for too long and are in dire need of a change.
You and I stand, united
We stand together as a united front.
Hollow casings, chromatic magnums
Empty shells and colorful guns.
Put bullets in this constitution
We will fight to change this political document.
Of written lies that kill their own kind
These lies in written form are harming their own people.
We're the people, it's the people
The power lies within us, the people.
We're the people that run this country
We control the operation of this nation.
Scraps for a billion as they build their fortune
They amass fortunes for themselves with only the scraps given to the public.
We won't take this, this institution
We refuse to accept this establishment.
Too many lies are sold for nothing
They sell too many falsehoods with no real value.
We won't take this, this institution
We refuse to accept this establishment.
We will united
We will stand united.
Every time that you can always see
Every time you have the opportunity to see.
You wanna see the light
You want to see the truth.
But you can never ever see the day
But you cannot see the change that must occur.
You can only see the day when
You can only achieve change when.
You choose to see the light
You choose to see the truth.
Because of this institution
Despite this establishment.
Contributed by Ava V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.