As a group, S.T.U.N. are unified in delivering a message, both through their lyrics and through their music. Some of the topics S.T.U.N. deal with on EVOLUTION OF ENERGY are the Government’s growing control of the globe through lies and deception, the healing power in finding your own answers, the warning of the trap of blind compliance, the cowardess and effect of judgment, and the celebration of love and chaos until equality is accomplished. Their name says it all: it’s an acronym for Scream Toward the Uprising of Non-Conformity. Influenced as much by linguist Noam Chomsky and author Daniel Quinn as they are by The Clash or Jane’s Addiction, S.T.U.N’s message is central to their music. “Our music is a call for unity and awareness,” says Neil Spies, guitarist and songwriter/lyricist. “When I grew up, every effort was used to force me to comply with the thought process that whoever was in authority was right – and that’s rarely the truth. We’re here to prove that if you are brave enough to fight adversity for what you believe in that you will have your own message to send that will enlighten the world.
“We’re not pushing opinions on anyone – everyone should question everything, and make decisions for themselves,” Spies continues. “We feel that we have a responsibility, though. When I was a kid, music saved and taught me you can’t feel more alive then when you are part of revolution. When we talk to the kids, they really seem to be starving for a band to fight the “play it safe,” fabricated passion state of the music industry right now. We are playing for them.”
The members of S.T.U.N. were equally absorbed by Jane’s Addiction, Radiohead, Depeche Mode, The Smiths, Super Furry Animals, Pixies, and David Bowie. “We believe in melody, but these don’t feel like traditional melodies to me,” says singer Christiane J. understating one of the many distinctive elements of the band’s incendiary music. Produced by Sean Slade (Radiohead, Hole, The Cure, 60 ft. dolls, Sebadoh, Circle Jerks, Boo Radleys), and mixed by Slade and Paul Kolderie (Pixies, Dinasour Jr., The Lemonheads, Billy Bragg,) and Andy Wallace (Nirvana, At the Drive-in, Rage Against the Machine, Jane’s Addiction, System of a Down) EVOLUTION OF ENERGY is a record that runs on both adrenalin and free-moving intensity.
True to their no-frills aesthetic, the S.T.U.N. saga is short, sweet and to the point. Formed just under three years ago in Los Angeles around the uncompromising music and liberating message of Spies, the group’s members found themselves experiencing a process akin to creative osmosis. “There was a chemistry between us from the moment we met,” asserts lead singer Christiane J. “The challenge was to build on that and take it to the next level.”
“We played any where we could and every chance we got,” said drummer Bobby Alt. “We played parties, local clubs, and eventually, record company showcases. It was a quick, but natural progression, and what meant most to us was the music seemed to make an immediate connection with all different types of music fans.”
S.T.U.N. slowed down their lightning fast ascent long enough to carefully consider their choice of producer. “We chose Sean Slade because he had a real understanding of the bands that influenced us and how those influences came out in our music,” continues bassist Nick S. Recorded at Slade’s Q Division Studios in Boston over the proverbial forty days and forty nights, EVOLUTION OF ENERGY took shape quickly and decisively. “We came in totally prepared, mentally and physically,” says Spies. “The focus was on capturing as much of the sensory overload from our live shows as we could, while still using studio technology to bring out new aspects of music. Slade allowed just the right amount of improvisation and experimenting which I think is lacking in records these days.” Geffen heard the finished record, and signed the band to a deal in the Spring of 2002.
S.T.U.N. is political and thought provoking – all the while somehow instilling a unified, entertaining, celebratory atmosphere. Their audience crosses over the genre-divide: there are people who are into hip-hop coexisting with people who are into punk. You never know what’s going to happen next at our shows. They are never the same, that’s how it should be. S.T.U.N.’s live shows have been described as “sensory overload.” or, as Neil describes it, chaos. “It’s chaos with a reason,” he says. “It’s chaos that creates love and unity.”
“We’re still playing for certain audiences that have not seen our live show before,” Christiane adds. “So when we tour, people are in shock – and then there’s anarchy. On stage, I’m in freefall. I’ve never jumped out of a plane without a parachute, but that is how I would explain the feeling I get when I’m performing.”
“I don’t write about myself right now. I did everything I could to write about what everyone in the world is going through and could relate to,” says Neil. “There’s so much that I’ve learned. There’s so much I’ve come to understand. I got bruised going against the grain and not accepting things I knew were lies -- but I also found a beauty and an urgency in life from it, and that’s what S.T.U.N. is about living in the moment. We are just a moment away. 05.03
Annihilation
S.T.U.N. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Desperation...
What will you do?
When it comes for you?
There go the generations
There we all go
More pills for you
To try to hide from the view
There go the generations
There we all go
Here come the drifters
(This is invasion)
Into the rich neighborhoods now
Overpopulation's disaster
Has come for its master
(That only protect the few)
And now the unprotected is you
(This is invasion of annihilation)
There go the generations
Annihilation...
The lyrics of S.T.U.N.'s song Annihilation depict a world overtaken by desperation and overpopulation, in which even those who had once felt protected are now vulnerable. The opening lines "Desperation...What will you do? When it comes for you?" set the tone for the rest of the song, leading the listener to question their own preparedness and resilience in the face of crisis. The repetition of "There go the generations" reinforces the sense of inevitable decline, a world ending without any hope of reversal.
Later in the song, the lyrics become more specific, referencing the invasion of "drifters" into wealthy neighborhoods, a shallow attempt to hide from the effects of rampant population growth. The lines "Overpopulation's disaster/Has come for its master/And now the unprotected is you" suggest that even the privileged are not truly immune to the effects of ecological decay or societal collapse. "Annihilation" becomes the inevitable outcome, as the world and all that inhabits it falls victim to their own excesses.
The song is a warning and a lament, a call to action wrapped in the poignant realization that perhaps all that remains is to watch as the generations pass and the world falls apart.
Line by Line Meaning
Desperation...
Feeling of hopelessness and despair
Desperation...
Repetition of the first line to emphasize the feeling
What will you do?
Asking the listener what their plan is in the face of a looming threat
When it comes for you?
Asking when the threat will inevitably arrive
There go the generations
The looming threat will wipe out entire families and groups of people
There we all go
We are all vulnerable to this threat
More pills for you
Offering a temporary solution to the problem
To try to hide from the view
Taking medication as a way to avoid facing the problem
Here come the drifters
Description of the threatening group
(This is invasion)
Commentary on the nature of the group's arrival
Into the rich neighborhoods now
The threat is now affecting those who thought themselves immune
Overpopulation's disaster
The root cause of the problem
Has come for its master
The consequences of overpopulation are now occurring
(That only protect the few)
Commentary on the unfair system that benefits the wealthy
And now the unprotected is you
The previously protected individuals are now vulnerable
(This is invasion of annihilation)
Commentary on the level of destruction the threat will bring
There go the generations
Reiteration of the earlier lyrics, underscoring the gravity of the threat
Annihilation...
The ultimate outcome of the invasion
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Angela Betancourt
man this was on repeat on my stereo all year! love the energy!
Claudia Orozco
Warped tours were great hanging out with these guys. Everytime we stopped by their booth they would always let us chill with them... Good times. I still have their CD too!
David J Woodbury
I remember getting this album in the mail when it first came out and jamming to it with my buddy while we shoveled my driveway from all the snow that fell that day! Good memories!
MartyMcFly
Such an amazing song
Stephen Moss
I saw these guys open up for The Used in Knoxville, TN. The guys literally crawled on pipes in the ceiling lol. They put on a great show.
Matthew Raspopovich
SO lucky to have seen these guys twice, once with The Used and Coheed and Cambria around 2002 and once again at Warped Tour 2002 (or was it 2003?)...either way, the singer climbed the fucking catwalk and this was one of the most passionate bands I've ever seen. I MISS THESE FUCKERS.
Ryan Miller
he did that at the warped show i saw , too dope.
David J Woodbury
I can't believe your comment was 8 years ago! Good memories!
Allegory
This song should be in more movies
Official B.N.A.Music.88
still love this song