Formed in 2005, they set their local scene alight by playing a synth-driven technical mix of styles and genres difficult to define in a single word. The band's name was taken from the movie L.A. Confidential. They are known for their strong DIY ethic and chaotic live performances.
The band is currently signed to MNRK Heavy. They released two albums on Hassle Records: Hysterics (2008) and the Diplo-produced Cosmology (2010). After creating their own record label called Destination Moon in 2011, they released Eternal Youth, a compilation album of B-sides, remixes, and rarities from throughout their career, and their third album, 21012’s Astraea, with the first line-up change in their career. They then released two albums on Holy Roar records: Grievances (2015) and Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It (2018).
Their music has been difficult to classify simply because of the band's resistance to being identified with one single genre. Described as "like a polished chrome King Crimson for the 21st Century" they have typically been acknowledged as being mathcore, a tag which summarises the theoretical complexity of their music, such as odd time signatures like 9/8 and 13/8 and polyrhythmic drumming. They have been identified as "falling somewhere between grindcore, progressive and alternative rock and have been categorised as experimental rock, post-metal, post-hardcore, progressive hardcore, progressive rock and screamo. The band utilises two vocalists in their music, a quality which "immediately creates a rich and textured sonic world". Eva Spence's vocal style was acknowledged by Michael Wilson of the BBC as bi-polar; swapping between "fragile lullabies to blood-curdling scowls". Her singing voice is in a soprano vocal range and has been compared to the stylings of Alison Goldfrapp of Goldfrapp and Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins.
Their earlier work—such as Hysterics, Cosmology and their demos and extended plays—was known for its use of jazz breakdowns and swapping chaotically between explosive mathcore, calm atmospheric experimental music and acid jazz. Their music is also noted for sharing traits with Nintendocore in terms of chaos and sound for the use of 8-bit synthesizers. The compilation album Eternal Youth gave insight into their musical development from their 2005 demos to their latest b-side releases with Hassle records.
The band’s sound developed further into pop, ambient, shoegaze and space rock elements for their third album Astraea, and has been jokingly dubbed as cosmic-core. For one of the b-sides from the album—“Mezmerizer”—NME journalist Hamish MacBain classed it as a "space rock ballad". For the album, the band decided to base its name on the goddess of the same name, a reference to the Spence siblings’ admiration for Greek mythology and a desire to pick a title which made the album "sound big and like this proper body of work". The non-album single "Old Mystics" and the song from the album "The Scales of Balance" both make reference to the "Golden Age" declared by Astraea.
In contrast to the lighter tone developed on Astraea, their fourth album—Grievances—is frenetic and dark in its composition, utilising pianos and violins for a darker character.
Their fifth album, Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It— as described by James Spence—“continues in the vein of Grievances' darkness, but shouldn't be used to judge what all our new material sounds like."
The band's sixth album, Where Myth Becomes Memory, was released on 04 February 2022. Lyrically, it deals with "how the passage of time, miles on the road, bittersweet nostalgia and the inherent unreliability of human memory shape and reshape our experience of the art we make and the lives we live." Sonically, the music continues to "magnify the dynamic interplay between light and shade", moving from chaos to tranquility at the drop of a hat.
Current members:
Eva Korman – vocals (2005–present)
James Spence – vocals, synthesizer (2005–present)
Chris Cayford – guitar (2012–present)
Nathan Fairweather – bass guitar (2012–present)
Al Pott – drums (2018–present)
Opalescent
Rolo Tomassi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Too fractured to endear, bonds broken beyond view
With all roads leading here, fettered by an endless blue
But I held the arrows, I pulled the strings
And bottled messages never to be seen
In fits and starts it can blossom and bloom
But I held the arrows, I pulled the strings
In fits and starts it can blossom and bloom
The shot at the moon still falls short of the stars
The lyrics in Rolo Tomassi's song "Opalescent" seem to be referencing a situation that is beyond repair. The first line suggests that no matter how intelligent or persuasive one may be, they can't solve the issue at hand. The second line indicates that the bonds between people have been irreparably broken and that there is no hope of repairing them. The third line possibly refers to feeling trapped or stuck in a situation, unable to move forward.
The chorus begins with the statement "But I held the arrows, I pulled the strings." This could indicate a sense of control or responsibility for the situation. The next line, "And bottled messages never to be seen," suggests that the person has tried to communicate their feelings, but their attempts have gone unnoticed or ignored. The following line, "In fits and starts it can blossom and bloom," possibly means that there is still potential for growth and change, but only if certain conditions are met. The final line states that even with the best efforts, success may still be unattainable.
Overall, the lyrics in "Opalescent" seem to be exploring the idea of being stuck in a difficult or impossible situation, and the frustration that comes with it. The chorus offers a glimmer of hope but ultimately acknowledges that success may still be out of reach.
Line by Line Meaning
No measured mark of wit, wisdom or rhetoric could solve this
This situation cannot be solved with intelligence or persuasive language.
Too fractured to endear, bonds broken beyond view
The relationships have been damaged beyond repair.
With all roads leading here, fettered by an endless blue
Feeling trapped with no escape, surrounded by sadness and despair.
But I held the arrows, I pulled the strings
The artist has control and power in this situation.
And bottled messages never to be seen
The artist has kept their thoughts and feelings hidden from others.
In fits and starts it can blossom and bloom
There are brief moments of hope and growth.
But the shot at the moon still falls short of the stars
Even when reaching for the highest goals, there are still limitations and disappointments.
Writer(s): James Spence, Tom Pitts, Eva Spence, Chris Cayford, Nathan Fairweather, James William Spence
Contributed by Chase T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@CrewofMaltby
No measured mark of wit, wisdom or rhetoric could solve this
Too fractured to endear, bonds broken beyond view
With all roads leading here, fettered by an endless blue
But I held the arrows, I pulled the strings
And bottled messages never to be seen
But I held the arrows, I pulled the strings
In fits and starts it can blossom and bloom
But I held the arrows, I pulled the strings
In fits and starts it can blossom and bloom
The shot at the moon still falls short of the stars
@mrcloopthethird618
@@Android_18.Sigh...OK, here we go (inhales):
**That's
**Want to
**Know
**They're
**I've got an
**Ear
**Are
**Just
**I've
**Putting
**Them
(Exhales)
You should be banned from posting, until you learn to type.
End.
@autumncaleb3955
I love the dichotomy of people wondering why Eva doesn't scream in this song, and people who want more songs where she doesn't scream. I just love Rolo, let them do their thing.
@a1m05tg0n3
LOL I do want her to scream in this song but It is beautiful and just fine in it's own right. Something about it though I just want her to open up and rage but I can't put my finger on it.
@ololo9283
@@a1m05tg0n3 agree!!
@processingpodcastseattle
How I feel about Spiritbox. Cheers.
@griiseknoen
I just discovered this band.
The good thing about being late to the party is that you are immediately given an entire amazing back catalogue to check out too.
This is fucking great!
@penguinisnotracist8440
That happened to me but to a greater degree. Just discovered all the genre of rock and metal ( black , doom , death , thrash , metalcore , punk , psychedelic , crust , funeral doom , progressive rock/metal , blues , mathrock/metal , jazz fusion , skramz , ambient , shoegaze , blackgaze , DSBM , slam , trap , grindcore you name it ) back in 2014 (before that I'm just a degenerate top 40 billboard fan ,how naive I'm back then) . Fast forward to 2021 , still learning a lot about bands from each genre and also their entire discography . God damn I addicted to music . Stay rocking .
@TheWretchedMammoth
100% agree, I have no idea why I hadn't heard of this band before but I'm grateful for the deep dive in their discography.
@billjohnston4603
Great band! She has a beautiful voice !
@Carlos3Zone
My soul is vibrating.
@importedtv
Everyone talking about the intro...but that outro thoo!!