PRIDEBOWL’s vocalist Aaron left for home on December 29:th. Just before PRIDEBOWL split up many labels received a demo-tape. Lost & Found Records from Germany was soon to take interest and promised a seven-inch of the PRIDEBOWL demo and scattered exposure. This never happened though and Lost and Found had once again proved that they can never be trusted.
Through Satanic Surfers (who Pridebowl had played with just before Christmas) a demo found its way to the Bad Taste headquarters where everyone was very impressed with this young quintet. In March Aaron was flown back to Sweden to start rehearsing and later on recording the first Pridebowl EP “Long-Distance” (btr 4).
The sound of PRIDEBOWL can be said to be speedy, melodic punk-rock with serious, explosive lyrics and catchy rhythms. PRIDEBOWL simply means to roll with your pride, no matter what tries to bring you down. Basically, ”keep your chin up, the bad never lasts as long as the good” and ”value yourself or no one else will.”
A number of compilations and surf/bodyboarding videos followed and in January –96 the band was back in the studio again. This time they recorded at Studio Underground (where Satanic Surfers and No Fun At All had previously recorded) and the 12 tracks were released as “Dripping of the Past” late February the same year. This was followed by a CD-single in March and a video of the title track, “The Soft Song” in May. The video was shot by Apollon Bild & Film who had previously made videos by Millencolin, Roxette and E-Type to name but a few.
In June/July PRIDEBOWL played nine shows in California with bands like Strung Out, Good Riddance, Diesel Boy, Home Grown and Falling Sickness. In September/October they’re toured Sweden with Adhesive followed by Europe in February together with labelmates Intensity and Astream. Before leaving on this tour though they once again went to Västerås to record their second full length, “Where You Put Your Trust”, an album that still stands out as one of the best Swedish punk releases ever! The sales of the album quickly exceeded “Drippings…” and it was also licensed to Shock Records in Australia.
In the last week of March the band embarked on the first (and only) Canadian tour. It was the third annual Sno Jam tour and Pridebowl played approx. a dozen amazing shows together with Snfu, Good Riddance, Satanic Surfers & Diesel Boy. People went crazy when Pridebowl played and Canada has ever since been one of Pridebowl’s strongest territories.
During the remainder of the spring Pridebowl played a few shows in Sweden on their own or supporting bigger bands such as the Misfits for example. Late June they went out on a one week tour, playing three shows in France, a skate festival in Italy and a couple of shows in Belgium. Summer ended with them performing at a festival in Emmaboda.
Henrik and Stefan quit the band shortly hereafter and Patrik and Mattias took their places. The first recording they did together was in September when six tracks where recorded at the studio in Varberg, Recordia. Three of these tracks ended up the Adhesive split “No Better, No Worse” released in November –97 and the other three are available on the final album “Yesterday’s End”.
In October they went on a full European tour together with Turtlehead and this was immediately followed by a tour of Asia and Australia in Nov/Dec! The first show was in Hong Kong and the band went from here up to Beijing where another couple of shows were played. After touring China (as the first foreign punk band ever) and basically risking their lives considering the contents of their lyrics, they played four shows in Japan and then flew over to Australia for the last two weeks on this tour. In Australia they played with Frenzal Rhomb which is one of the biggest punk bands around attracting up to 5 thousand (people) at their shows!! Needless to say, Pridebowl played some incredible shows!
They returned from Australia at the end of 1997 and when Aaron went to the US for a month in January, the other members more or less decided to put an end to the band. Things had gotten worse and worse between them during the different tours and they all felt (Aaron included) that they couldn’t go on anymore. Three final songs were recorded before Aaron went back to the U.S. for good and “Yesterday’s End” (containing mostly unreleased, but also some out of print material) was released late September this year and can be seen as the band’s farewell album to all their fans.
The Toy
Pridebowl Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All your friends think you're a hoax
Wipe that smirk right off your face
Before I put my fist through your nose
It's no wonder you're fake
What you say is what you make
You're the toy that no one wants to play with
You're the pain in my neck that won't go away
There's but only one thing you're good for
You're the toy that no one wants to play with
There's only one thing you're good for
Since all your parts are broken
I can bash you to the floor
Your nose is growing longer
All your friends are disappearing
All your methods seem fail
I'm the hammer and you're the nail
My instincts show all systems down
Your brain is nowhere to be found
[Chorus]
You stink, You smell like rotten cheese
You lie. You let everyone down
You whine. And there's not enough food to go around
You make me sick to my stomach
I think I'm gonna puke
[Chorus]
The lyrics to Pridebowl's song "The Toy" appear to be directed at someone who is fake, unreliable and untrustworthy. The singer seems to be venting their anger at this person, calling them out for their lies, whining and general lack of usefulness. They suggest that this person is like a broken toy, unwanted and discarded by everyone around them. The singer takes on the role of the "hammer," ready to smash the "nail" of the other person's existence. The chorus reinforces this theme, stating that the person is a "toy that no one wants to play with" and that they have no purpose beyond being a target for the singer's rage.
The verses of the song are full of visceral language, with the singer threatening to punch the other person's nose and expressing disgust at their smell and behavior. Interestingly, they also make reference to the other person's friends disappearing - this suggests that the other person's behavior has alienated them from those around them. The use of the image of a toy is also telling - it implies that the other person is not a serious threat, but rather a plaything to be crushed as the singer sees fit.
Overall, "The Toy" is a song that expresses a great deal of anger and frustration. It seems to be directed at someone who has let the singer down, either through their own actions or through a series of broken promises. The tone of the song is aggressive and confrontational, with the singer making it clear that they have no time for people who can't be relied upon.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm not working you're a joke
I am not taking you seriously, you are a complete laughable failure
All your friends think you're a hoax
Your friends do not believe in you, they consider you a deceitful person
Wipe that smirk right off your face
Remove that grin which represents your false sense of confidence
Before I put my fist through your nose
Before I physically harm you as a result of your irritating demeanor
It's no wonder you're fake
It is clear why you are fake, given your shameful attitude
What you say is what you make
Your words reflect your true identity which is a contemptible worthless individual
You're the toy that no one wants to play with
You are the unwanted toy, no one wishes to associate with you
All your parts are broken. It's your gift
Your character is flawed in all dimensions, your imperfection is your attribute
You're the pain in my neck that won't go away
You are the constant annoyance that will not desist
There's but only one thing you're good for
You have only one purpose which is insipid and worthless
Since all your parts are broken
Because of your numerous defects
I can bash you to the floor
I am capable of defeating you with ease
Your nose is growing longer
You are becoming more and more dishonest with each passing second
All your friends are disappearing
Your comrades are abandoning you because of your deceitful nature
All your methods seem fail
Your methods are unsuccessful, they are all fruitless
I'm the hammer and you're the nail
I am the more dominant person, while you are the one being dominated
My instincts show all systems down
My intuition perceives that everything is inactive and unproductive
Your brain is nowhere to be found
You are not intelligent, you lack brainpower
You stink, You smell like rotten cheese
You are unpleasant, you have a foul odor that is comparable to spoiled cheese
You lie. You let everyone down
You are untruthful, and you disappoint everyone
You whine. And there's not enough food to go around
You complain excessively, as if there is a scarcity of food
You make me sick to my stomach
You disgust me to the point where I feel nauseous
[Chorus]
The repeated lyrics of the entire chorus
Contributed by Penelope D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.