A pastiche of post-rock, chamber-pop and contemporary classical composition, the self-titled debut album is strongly influenced by Ludwig-Leone's background in classical music, which includes a job assisting composer/arranger Nico Muhly.
After finishing his musical studies at Yale, Ludwig-Leone wrote the album in six weeks while holed up in a studio on the mountainous border between Alberta and British Columbia. He focused on lifeʼs top-shelf issues – youth, nostalgia, anxiety, unrequited love – and tied these vast themes to different characters through vocal contributions from longtime friend Allen Tate, as well as Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig of Lucius.
The first track released from the album, Sonsick, tackles many of these larger themes head-on. ”It’s like a panic attack disguised as a birthday party,” Ludwig-Leone says. ”I realized that the most intense moments are the ones in which conflicting emotional worlds exist inside you, equally, at once.”
San Fermin is not an album of singles but rather a sweeping, full-bodied listen with multiple distinct peaks and ambitious thematic connections. Ludwig-Leone composed all of the album’s arrangements and lyrics in full prior to collaborating and recording, noting that “writing for a large group of unknown musicians infused the writing process with a kind of operatic scope.
Since then, the band has coalesced into a core of eight members in addition to Ludwig-Leone: Allen Tate and Rae Cassidy, lead vocals; Eliza Bagg and Rebekah Durham, vocals/violin; John Brandon, trumpet; Stephen Chen, saxophone; Tyler McDiarmid, guitar; and Mike Hanf, drums.
Bar
San Fermin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In my heavy hands, a bottle nearing empty when you came
In August weather
And the man behind the counter says he likes to see it wasted on the young, young, young
You know I'm one for nothing, but there was a difference
It's a thrill like a drug in your arms
Make you weep, make you weak when you're young
When the August sun is rising you can feel it disconnecting with a buzz
We'll meet behind in secret, imagine something deeper in the dark
In August weather
Yeah we steal in the dark like the thieves that we are
We steal in the dark, when we lose what we lost, it happens
In the dead of the night, all alone with the tigers
Wearing the lives we laid out for ourselves
In the dead of the night, all alone with the tigers
Picking our fights and chasing our tales
In the dead of the night, all alone with the tigers
Dead of the night night, all alone with the tigers
Dead of the night, all alone with the tigers
In the dead of the night
It's a thrill like a drug in your arm
Make you weep, make you weak when you're young
I'm the girl with the pearls and the charms
I can make you believe for a while
But it's not love
The song "Bar" by San Fermin is a nostalgic and wistful reflection on a past relationship that was built on thrill and passion, but not on love. The song's opening lines describe the singer and their companions following someone to a bar, carrying "candy and collars," likely representing their youthful naivete and desire to please. The bar itself takes on a hazy, dreamlike quality as the singer drinks from an almost-empty bottle and the man behind the counter encourages them to waste their youth on such pursuits. The song's chorus, with its repeated refrain of "It's a thrill like a drug in your arm/Make you weep, make you weak when you're young/But it's not love" gives voice to the experience of being caught up in a passion that feels all-consuming but ultimately lacks substance.
The rest of the song continues this thread of passion and thrill, describing the rush of secret meetings and stolen moments, as well as the loneliness and isolation that can come with such a relationship. The repeated image of being alone with tigers heightens the sense of danger and risk that comes with this kind of relationship, while the singer's ability to "make you believe for a while" speaks to the allure and seductive power of this kind of passion. Ultimately, however, the song seems to suggest that this kind of passion cannot sustain itself, and that true love requires something deeper and more substantial.
Line by Line Meaning
Well we followed you like children with our candy and our collars to the Jane
We blindly followed you, like innocent children with our treats and leashes, to the bar
In my heavy hands, a bottle nearing empty when you came
As I held a weighty bottle, nearly drained, you entered the scene
In August weather
Amidst the hot summer days of August
And the man behind the counter says he likes to see it wasted on the young, young, young
The bartender expresses his pleasure in seeing young people squander their lives away
You know I'm one for nothing, but there was a difference
I may not have much to offer, but there was a distinction between me and the others
It's a thrill like a drug in your arms
The excitement is akin to being under the influence of a potent drug while in your embrace
Make you weep, make you weak when you're young
This feeling can bring tears to your eyes and weaken you, especially when young and inexperienced
But it's not love
However, this is not genuine love
When the August sun is rising you can feel it disconnecting with a buzz
As the August sun comes up, you can sense a buzz, as if you're becoming detached
We'll meet behind in secret, imagine something deeper in the dark
We'll rendezvous in secret and contemplate something more profound while in the shadows
Yeah we steal in the dark like the thieves that we are
We dishonestly sneak around in the darkness, as the criminals we truly are
We steal in the dark, when we lose what we lost, it happens
When we lose what we already lost, we tend to commit a crime (steal) in the darkness
In the dead of the night, all alone with the tigers
During the quietest part of the night, when we're all alone with our fears (tigers)
Wearing the lives we laid out for ourselves
Living according to the plans we created for ourselves
Picking our fights and chasing our tales
Engaging in pointless arguments and pursuing unattainable goals
Dead of the night night, all alone with the tigers
In the dark night, when we're by ourselves with our inner demons (tigers)
Dead of the night, all alone with the tigers
During the harshest time of night, when we're isolated with our fears
Dead of the night, all alone with the tigers
When it's pitch black outside and we're alone with our anxieties (tigers)
In the dead of the night
During the heart of the night, when it's darkest and quietest
It's a thrill like a drug in your arm
The excitement is like being under the influence of a potent drug in your arm
Make you weep, make you weak when you're young
This sensation can make you cry and debilitate you, particularly when you're young
I'm the girl with the pearls and the charms
I'm the girl with lovely, valuable possessions
I can make you believe for a while
For a brief period, I can cause you to have faith
But it's not love
However, it's not sincere love
Contributed by Nolan Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Rob M
Layered textured and progressive. Love the deep vocals from the guy.
The MoQingbird
Really nice to hear a sophisticated soundscape blending into a mature, urbane lyric. So refreshing!
Just pre-ordered the album : )
Front Row Boston
Looking forward to filming these guys in concert tomorrow night!
Melissa
in the night i am one with the tigers