1. Self, an alternative roc… Read Full Bio ↴There is more than one artist with this name
1. Self, an alternative rock band from Tennessee
2. Self, a melodic, pop punk band from South Carolina.
3. SELF, a dark ambient project from Brooklyn
4. Self, a black metal band from Belgium
5. Self, a lo-fi acoustic project from Adelaide, Australia.
1. Self, sometimes stylized as sElf, is a rock band that is mostly the brainchild of one Matt Mahaffey from Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Mahaffey began his musical career as a drummer, forming his first band at the precocious age of nine or ten with band members twice his age. Having gigged with punk, reggae, and pop bands, and even bluegrass square-dancing bands, Mahaffey went on to produce beats for rap artists out of his college dorm room. His diverse musical tastes would contribute to Self's unique sound. He later founded the indie label Spongebath with his bandmate at the time, Seth Timbs, and manager Rick Williams.
While Mahaffey has received nearly all the attention for the music, he is not the only member of the band, and not the sole songwriter either. Current members of the band include Chris James (keyboards, piano, samplers, guitar, backing vocals), Mac Burrus (bass guitar, keyboards, horns, backing vocals), and Jason Rawlings (drums). Past members include Matt's brother, Mike Mahaffey (lead guitar, keyboards, vocals) and Timm Nobles (bass guitar). Because Matt is proficient in almost all of the instruments that Self uses, he plays most of the instruments on the albums, but the other members do contribute occasional parts on albums, and shine when the band plays live. Seth Timbs has also played a small role in the band's songwriting and contributes vocals to a cover of the song Dizzy, but is not an official member of the band.
Mahaffey's debut Self album, Subliminal Plastic Motives, was released in 1995 on the Spongebath label. It was followed by The Half-Baked Serenade in 1996 and an album released for free via the internet in 1997 called Feels Like Breakin' Shit. An EP titled Brunch (1998) and the album Breakfast with Girls (1999) were co-released by the Spongebath and Dreamworks labels. Back at Spongebath, Self released Gizmodgery in 2000, an album notable for being created entirely with children's toy instruments. That same year, Self released two more free internet-only albums, Self Goes Shopping and Selfafornia.
In 2005, Self again released an album for free on the internet. Porno, Mint, and Grime consists of demos recorded during the 2001-2004 sessions for the unreleased album Ornament and Crime.
Their album Ornament and Crime is fully complete; however, Dreamworks (their record label) has declined to release the album for unknown reasons.
A DVD has also been completed, but due to legal reasons, may or may not be released. The performance includes a cover of AC/DC's hit song Back in Black, which has not yet been approved.
Self also did a cover of Ana Ng, originally done by They Might Be Giants, which is on the album Hello Radio, released July 2006. A new album tentatively entitled Super Fake Nice was announced in 2010 and released in 2014. A single, Could You Love me Now? was released in May 2010 and was later put on the B side for Record Store Day single Monogamy. Later in 2017 their previously never released albumOrnament and Crime was released on CD and vinyl but for legal reasons never put on streaming.
2. Self was a 3 piece melodic pop punk band from Columbia, South Carolina, active in the late 1990s. They released a single album named Codename: Spivey in 1996, which was re-released by Offtime Records in 1998.
3. SELF is the side-project of Brooklyn based True Crime Electronics project SLOGUN, in a dark ambient vein. Released one LP to date, titled The Mind and the Matter in 2004.
4. Self started as a solo project around 1999. Hennix (Demonizer) joined forces for the recordings of Searing Winds but left afterwards (2001-2003). Searing Winds was recorded at the home studio, except for the drums, recorded at Shumcot (http://www.shumcot.be/). Everything mixed and mastered at the home studio. The album never got officially released.
http://www.myspace.com/selfblackmetal
5. Self is an acoustic lo-fi project by Adelaide singer/songwriter Olly Byrne. He released his first album, The Bitter Cold recorded in his bedroom in early 2018.
https://selfselfself.bandcamp.com/releases
Sucker
Self Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm well unprepared
Lighter than arosal that's stained into
The hair berets on the wall
The perfect contestant
All afraid and alone
I ordered by phone
All of life's secrets and a custom
Am I the Sucker here for the punching?
Am I the only one dumb enough to stick around
Till the fighting ends
And the next round begins it can't be
Am I the Sucker here for the punching?
Am I the last one left to admit
That I know the Sucker in the mirror
Staring back at me
It's quite a collection of hearts you got there
In need of repair
Modern day aeroplanes are combing
Every corner of the sky
Hooked a detector to the lies in my head
Said I'm better off dead or buried alive
-chorus-
She could throw parties on my grave
She could make this whole town her slaves
She could dance upon my grave
Am I the Sucker here for the punching?
Am I the only one dumb enough to stick
Around with all your high school friends
And your stupid split-ends and pig tails
Am I the Sucker here for the punching?
Am I just too blind to see
That I know the Sucker in the mirror
Staring back at me
The song "Sucker" by Self is a reflection on a relationship that is abusive and manipulative. The lyrics describe the singer's feelings of being unprepared and alone in the situation, as if attacked from nowhere. They describe feeling like a "sucker" for staying around despite the fighting and manipulation, and question if they are the only one who is willing to stick around until the end.
The singer describes their partner as having a collection of hearts in need of repair, perhaps implying that they have a pattern of destructive relationships. The lyrics suggest that the relationship is so toxic that the singer has even considered the possibility of being better off dead or buried.
Despite these negative emotions, the singer still seems to have feelings for their partner, acknowledging that they are willing to be a "sucker" in the relationship. The chorus repeats the central question - am I the only one dumb enough to stick around and be a punching bag? The final section of the song suggests that the partner is so cruel that they could even throw parties on the singer's grave.
Overall, "Sucker" is a raw and emotional song that touches on themes of abuse, manipulation, and self-doubt.
Line by Line Meaning
Yoda foresaw this cause it came from nowhere
Unexpected events have occurred, surprising even the sagest and wisest among us.
I'm well unprepared
I am not equipped to handle these events.
Lighter than aerosol that's stained into the hair berets on the wall
I am light and insubstantial, like the residue of aerosol paint that has left a stain on the hair berets.
The perfect contestant, all afraid and alone
I am the ideal candidate for this role, yet I am afraid and everyone has abandoned me.
I ordered by phone all of life's secrets and a custom storebought, homemade piece of mind
I thought I could easily get my hands on the answers to life's mysteries and a pre-packaged sense of mental wellbeing simply by making a phone call.
Am I the Sucker here for the punching?
Have I been foolish enough to stay in this situation where I am being repeatedly abused and taken advantage of?
Am I the only one dumb enough to stick around till the fighting ends and the next round begins it can't be
Surely, I cannot be the only one who is foolish enough to stay in this situation and endure repeated rounds of fighting.
Am I the last one left to admit that I know the Sucker in the mirror staring back at me
Perhaps I am the only one who is deceiving myself and refusing to acknowledge that I, too, am a victim of my own poor choices.
It's quite a collection of hearts you got there in need of repair
Your collection of broken and damaged hearts is impressive and clearly in need of fixing.
Modern day airplanes are combing every corner of the sky
In this day and age, no detail can be left unnoticed and every inch of the sky is being scrutinized.
Hooked a detector to the lies in my head
I have installed a device to detect the falsehoods that plague my mind.
Said I'm better off dead or buried alive
The detector has led me to the conclusion that it would be easier for me to die or be buried alive than to continue living with these lies.
She could throw parties on my grave, she could make this whole town her slaves, she could dance upon my grave
Even in death, I fear that I will continue to be at the mercy of this person who has power over me.
Am I the only one dumb enough to stick around with all your high school friends and your stupid split-ends and pig tails
Do I lack the intelligence to see that I am surrounded by immature people with trivial concerns and petty characteristics?
Am I just too blind to see that I know the Sucker in the mirror staring back at me
Perhaps I am simply unable to recognize that I am my own worst enemy, as evidenced by the reflection staring back at me.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: MATT MAHAFFEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind