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.
Swamp Song
San Fermin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Did they say your name wrong
Did they make fun of your Dad
Because he cried at baseball
Do you feel your out of place
When you wear a collar
Come on down into the swamp,
Disappear into the trees
Where no one knows you′re gone
Ghosts of aunts and ancestors
Are here where you belong
Make a muddy mausoleum,
Hidden in the weeds
Catch a slimy pickerel,
Just don't touch his teeth
Put your boots on and your bug spray
Even if you′ve had a rough day
Time to let go of the small things
Don't you know the swamp is calling
Tell your Mother and your Father
You are headed for the water
Tell your Sister and your Cousin
Can't you hear the crickets buzzing
Holy headed hellgrammites
Haunting in the bog at night
Haunted hollow creeping dark
Can′t you hear the swamp is calling
Put your boots on and your bug spray
Even if you′ve had a rough day
Time to let go of the small things
Don't you know the swamp is calling
Grab a net but better hurry
Tell your parent′s not to worry
Water sloshes your galoshes
Tell your Mother not to wash it
Climb a tree and close your eyes (Put your boots on
And your bug spray, even if you've had a rough day)
It would be so bad to die (Time to let go of the small things)
Hide among the ants and plants (Grab a net you
Better hurry, tell your parent′s not to worry)
Just don't meet the cormorant (Water sloshes
Your galoshes, tell your Mother not to wash it)
The lyrics of San Fermin's song Swamp Song depict a person searching for a place where they belong. The lyrics begin with a series of questions, perhaps directed at the person singing the song, asking if they were ever called names or made fun of because they were different. The lyrics encourage the listener to come to the swamp, a place where they can disappear into the trees, create their own mausoleum, and catch slimy pickerels. The swamp is a place where the person can let go of their worries and forget about their troubles. The song describes the swamp as calling out to the listener, with crickets buzzing and water sloshing in their boots.
The lyrics then take a darker turn, warning the listener not to meet the cormorant and to hide among the ants and plants. The swamp is described as haunted, with holy headed hellgrammites and a haunting hollow creeping dark. The song ends with a plea to the listener to put on their boots and bug spray, grab a net, and head to the swamp, even if they've had a rough day. The swamp is calling, and the listener is encouraged to tell their mother and father that they are headed for the water.
Overall, the song is a poignant depiction of someone searching for a place where they belong, and finding that place in the swamp. The lyrics encourage the listener to let go of their worries and embrace the mysteries of the swamp, even as they warn of the dangers lurking just below the surface.
Line by Line Meaning
Did they call you nature boy
Were you addressed as a lover of nature?
Did they say your name wrong
Were they incorrect when pronouncing your name?
Did they make fun of your Dad
Did people mock your father because he showed emotions while watching baseball?
Do you feel your out of place
Do you feel like you don't fit in?
When you wear a collar
When you try to conform to societal standards
Come on down into the swamp,
Join the creatures of the marsh
And jump into the water
Take a plunge and free yourself from conformity
Disappear into the trees
Vanish into the lush greenery
Where no one knows you′re gone
Where nobody can find and judge you
Ghosts of aunts and ancestors
The spirits of relatives, both near and distant
Are here where you belong
Setting foot in the swamp makes you feel connected to the land of your forefathers
Make a muddy mausoleum,
Create a monument to the memory of those who came before you
Hidden in the weeds
Concealed from everyone's view among thick undergrowth
Catch a slimy pickerel,
Catch a slimy fish, just be careful not to get bitten
Just don't touch his teeth
Avoid the sharp teeth of the fish
Put your boots on and your bug spray
Get ready with your boots and insect repellent
Even if you′ve had a rough day
Even if you have had a bad day
Time to let go of the small things
It's time to forget the minor issues
Don't you know the swamp is calling
Don't you feel drawn to the wetlands?
Tell your Mother and your Father
Inform your parents
You are headed for the water
You're going to the swamp
Tell your Sister and your Cousin
Inform your siblings and cousins
Can't you hear the crickets buzzing
Can't you hear the sweet sound of nature?
Holy headed hellgrammites
The holy-crowned hellgrammites - the insects that signify purity
Haunting in the bog at night
Spooky noises emanating from the marshes after dark
Haunted hollow creeping dark
The creepy, spooky darkness of the bog
Can′t you hear the swamp is calling
The marsh is calling out to you - don't you feel it?
Grab a net but better hurry
Hurry up and take a net
Tell your parent′s not to worry
Reassure your parents
Water sloshes your galoshes
The water splashes against your boots
Tell your Mother not to wash it
Tell your mother she doesn't need to worry about washing your boots
Climb a tree and close your eyes
Climb a tree, close your eyes and let go
It would be so bad to die
Death wouldn't be so terrible at this moment
Hide among the ants and plants
Blend in with the insects and plants
Just don't meet the cormorant
Avoid encountering the cormorant, a bird associated with death and war
Writer(s): Ellis Ludwig Leone
Contributed by Sarah O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.