The band came together in 1999 with musical friends Justin Wilson (guitar/vocals), Jeff Wilganowski (drums), Brian Pho (bass), and Matt Pitman (guitar). They've perfected their emo style for something charming and desirable, allowing Deep Elm to take interest in the band and inking them a deal in late 1999. They spent most of 2000 recording in Deedle's Room in Austin, TX, recording what would become a full-length studio effort. The fruit of those sessions was Breaking in an Angel (2001,) plus a split disc with Slowride. The next year, the more complex and ferocious Black Phantom Crusades was released in the fall.
Brian quit the band while in Europe touring. Jeff Meaningless was flown out and soon became the permanent replacement.
2004 saw the release of Polizida, recorded by J. Robbins (Against Me!, Jets To Brazil, Dismemberment Plan) which was released through the Ice Planet label.
Their latest release, Seven Year War was released in 2006 on END sounds.
The band had this to say about the release:
This album came together after it became clear that our music was not getting the distribution it deserves. With End Sounds, we have found American, European, and Japanese distribution with Koch, who was the distributior for Epitaph Records for many years. Koch makes our music available to almost anyone that wants to hear it. Orders will be taken through the End Sounds website for anyone that cannot find it in their local stores.
The music is a collection of songs, new and old, that best represent the band since it's inception in 1998. Some of the tracks were recorded at The Hit Factory in NYC, some with J. Robbins at the Echo Lab in Denton, TX, some at Deedle's Room Recording, one at Mad River Post, which is easily the biggest room any of us have ever recorded in, and two of the tracks are early live recordings in two of Dallas's best clubs.
This release will be enhanced and will include 9 music videos, two of which were directed by Travis Kopach, who's done videos for Matchbook Romance, The Juliana Theory, Koufax, and Straylight Run. The live songs featured on the audio section of the disc will have corresponding videos, two videos will be for songs from our 3rd full-length, "Polizida".
The artwork and tracklisting were left up completely up to the band, so for first time we can say we are giving our fans a record that looks and sounds exactly the way we wanted it to. Any song that first appeared on a 7-inch or CD compilation has been re-mastered from the original recording and sounds 100% better.
We totally appreciate the fans that have stuck by our side and to them we say a warm thank you for buying this record that really means something to us. This release is packed to the gills with material and we hope you enjoy it.
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2006 saw several changes within the band. Jeff Meaningless and Jeff Wilganowski quit the band. Replacing them was Todd Harwell (Flickerstick) on drums and Blake Young (Without Sound) on bass.
The band has remained somewhat silent in the past year after canceling their summer tour.
The Day After Yesterday
Red Animal War Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The first stanza of Red Animal War’s “The Day After Yesterday” introduces the singer’s struggle with the past’s hold on his life. He begins by stating that something is on his mind, and the reason for it is that his past is not giving him guidance on how to live his life or alleviate his pain. He recognizes that his own story is intertwined with another’s, yet that person's tragedy doesn't provide him with many insights. In the midst of trying to make sense of it all, he loses his train of thought, and the momentum behind his past trauma causes him to throw on the brakes. However, this only happens when he realizes that his past relationship is not his tragedy -- it's their tragedy. This recognition symbolizes a shift from a focus on his own pain to an acknowledgement of the pain shared between him and the other person.
The second and final stanza brings resolution to the singer's inner turmoil as he decides to leave the past behind him. He recognizes that he can’t negotiate this “age old war of deception,” and so takes a stand to break free from the chains of his past. The singer acknowledges that he and the other person have gone their separate ways, and he accepts that it's time for him to move on. He hopes that this “cold play” -- or this bitter experience -- will ultimately lead to a brighter future for him and the other person, and that they can both let go and “realize it’s for the best.” The key message of the song is that holding onto past pain can prevent personal growth, and that to move forward, one must accept the past and be willing to let go.
Line by Line Meaning
something is on my mind right now reason being reason pending
I have something on my mind at the moment, and I am still figuring out the reason behind it.
is that our past is not telling me how how to live my life or deaden my life
My past experiences do not dictate how I should live my life or give up on it.
my story your tragedy is handing me very few insights
The tragic events of someone else's life are giving me very little insight into how to handle my own story.
i lost my train of thought and that train doesn't seem to stop
I am distracted and struggling to focus on my thoughts.
so i throw on the brakes breaks like your life is at stake
I try to stop my thoughts abruptly, as if it's a life or death situation.
and i realize it's not me and that's been my tragedy
I come to the realization that my tragedy is not caused by me, but by external factors.
so i'll leave it here today so i left it here today
I decide to leave my thoughts behind and move on from them today.
tomorrow has left it here today right here right now
I am dealing with the aftermath of my thoughts in the present moment.
and i'm not letting me leave this in my way
I won't let these thoughts hinder me from progressing.
you can't negotiate this age old war of deception
It's impossible to negotiate or win against the deception that exists in our world.
so i took the stand and all of it we've gone our seperate ways
I stand up against deception and choose to go my own way.
ours as in my play
This is my story and I control how it plays out.
so let this cold play be the way that i have seen
I choose to let my own perspective guide me, even if it seems cold to others.
and please come be my guest and realize it's for the best
I invite others to join me on this journey and hope they understand that it's for the best for me.
realize it's for the rest
I hope others can see that my choices are for the benefit of everyone involved.
Contributed by Aria M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.