For some people, the main goals are a pimped out ride and a pimped out life. Ask Self Against City lead singer Jonathan Temkin about his goals and he tells a very different story. “People are searching for something to make themselves complete,” he says. “If we can inspire people with our music, I can die a happy person.” Temkin may be on to something, especially in light of Self Against City's revelatory new Drive-Thru/Rushmore CD Telling Secrets to Strangers.
Produced by Steven Haigler (Pixies, Fuel), the songs on the album were written by Temkin and guitarist Jack Matranga. The two sketched out every progression and guitar riff in advance. The prep time paid off, as a seamless cohesion ties the album together. "Every song is a chapter," says Temkin, "a summation of everything we went through in the last year."
He's referring to rock ‘n' roll grad school, i.e., touring a big country in a small van. Every triumph and misbegotten adventure has been converted into song, starting with “Becoming a Monster,” a punch-drunk rocker Temkin calls “our mission statement.” The track exemplifies the band's signature sound: buzzsaw guitars, choppy rhythms and Temkin's trip-wire vocals. “We want to be energetic and melodic at the same time,” says Matranga. “But we didn't want just one song repeated ten times on the record.”
Their pattern holds true on songs like “Stroke of Luck”, “Ready and Willing” and “Even the Strong Won’t Survive.” Says Temkin of the latter, “It's a testament to growing up and having to put mental restraints on myself. It's about different forms of addiction and the inner struggles people have.” The tuneful guitar-centered “Disappearing Act” is about an eccentric former band member, while the acoustic-flavored “Tequila Moonlight” is one of the CD's more introspective tracks. “It's about an alcohol-driven memory of a few key events that happen over a night” says Temkin. “It was written mostly by Jack, and is so pure and honest.”
“Yours Isn't The First” is, says Temkin, an ode “to everyone who ever had their heartbroken because they got dumped,” while the sly “Smooth Silver” is one of the CD's most adventurous songs. “It's about frustration, desire and confusion wrapped into one,” he notes. The CD ends with “Back to Our Innocence,” a full-circle rocker that serves as the perfect grace note. “It's our way of saying when you're a child that's when everything feels so pure. When you get older things get desensitized. You lose the vivid colors. We're on a quest to feel like childlike adults.”
That quest wasn't born yesterday. Though the band made a big impression with their 2005 Rushmore debut EP “Take It How You Want It,” the origins of Self Against City stretch back further. The son of a single mother, the Texas-born Temkin grew up in Hawaii, Germany and northern California, raised mostly by a loving aunt and uncle. He
was given access to all kinds of musical instruments and became proficient on several. But it was a Matchbox 20 concert in Frankfurt that proved the tipping point. “Something changed in me,” he remembers, “and I said, ‘That's what I'm gonna do.’ From then on I begged for a guitar and at 15 I finally got one."
Temkin moved back to California's Central Valley and started playing guitar in various bands, one of which anointed him lead singer, even though he'd never sung in his life. Turned out, he was good at it. He also started writing songs, but the big break came in 2003 when he met Matranga and LaTour. “I spent every waking second figuring out what we needed to do to get the band together,” he says. “I was with musicians who wanted exactly the same thing as me.”
Jack Matranga had a very different upbringing from Temkin: living in the same home his whole life, parents happily married. But the two clicked right away as songwriting partners and performers. “He's nuts,” says Matranga of his friend. “I feed off of him. When we first started writing, we'd hop in the band room, turn on the amp and mold a song. Our confidence has grown since then.”
Bassist Patrick O'Connor and drummer Chris Trombley rounded out the line-up of Self Against City (the name came from Temkin mishearing a DJ announce the Bowie classic “Suffragette City”). The band cut a few demos, posting two on PureVolume. Those tracks caught the ear of Drive-Thru co-founders Richard Reines and Stefanie Reines, who kept tabs on the band's progress. Only five months after officially forming, the band had their Rushmore deal, and soon enough a debut EP. Buoyed by rave reviews, Self Against City toured the U.S. as well as performed at the CMJ convention. All the while, they were thinking ahead to the new CD. “We're a high energy rock band,” says Matranga, “but we wanted to write something a little bit deeper.”
O'Connor and Trombley played on the new CD but have since left the band. All five remain friends, and the others were sorry to see them go. But with the release of Telling Secrets to Strangers, Temkin, Matranga and LaTour are looking only forward. “The day we finished the album,” says Temkin, “I thought we did everything we set out to do: make a record we were proud of, write songs we believed in and let people know who we are.”
All This Time
Self Against City Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And that's all right now, we got somethin to talk about,
Month of September, fourth floor apartment,
We were the leaves, careless and fallen,
No amount of time can save us now,
All of our secrets are coming out,
Even though, it was perfect,
That all of this time, we have been pretending,
Believing our own lies, so we never have to give in,
We question purity, as we dragged white sheets through the dirt of our jealousy,
We're still pretending that our hearts are mended, safe from denial yet so offensive,
So obvious we need a change, telling the truth, it feels so strange
Even though, it was perfect,
You'll just say...
That all of this time, we have been pretending,
Believing our own lies, so we never have to give in,
It's all so familiar, that I don't remember, where we went wrong,
Where did we go?
All of this time,
We've been pretending,
Believing our own lies,
So we never have to give in,
All of this time, we have been pretending,
Believing our own lies, so we never have to give in,
It's all so familiar, that I don't remember, where we went wrong,
Where did we go wrong?
Go wrong
Where did we go wrong?
The song "All This Time" by Self Against City revolves around the concept of pretending and living in denial in a relationship. The lyricist describes a situation where both parties have been pretending that everything is perfect, but in reality, their problems have been piling up. The first verse sets the scene of the initial honeymoon phase, such as "month of September, fourth-floor apartment" where things were perfect. However, the second line of the first verse, "we were the leaves, careless and fallen," foreshadows the eventual downfall. The lyricist then admits that all their secrets have started to come out, and they can't save the relationship now.
The chorus repeats the lines "All of this time, we have been pretending, believing our own lies, so we never have to give in." This showcases the central theme of the song. The lyricist believes that both parties are living in denial, ignoring their problems, and pretending that everything is perfect. The second verse takes a darker, more introspective tone. The couple questions their purity in their actions, such as "dragging white sheets through the dirt of our jealousy." They know that they're pretending to have their relationship mended. They're in denial and ignoring it, even though the truth is so obvious.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey well, you figured me out,
You have accurately deciphered my true intentions and identity
And that's all right now, we got somethin to talk about,
Now that you know who I really am, we have a topic of conversation
Month of September, fourth floor apartment,
The specific setting and time period that this relationship took place
We were the leaves, careless and fallen,
We were like the autumn leaves, carelessly falling without much thought or intention
No amount of time can save us now,
Time cannot fix or repair the damage that has been done to this relationship
All of our secrets are coming out,
All the hidden information and secrets are being revealed
Even though, it was perfect,
Despite how good it seemed on the surface,
You'll just say...
You will simply claim...
That all of this time, we have been pretending,
That this whole relationship has been a facade
Believing our own lies, so we never have to give in,
We convinced ourselves of false truths to avoid confronting the reality of the situation
We question purity, as we dragged white sheets through the dirt of our jealousy,
Our jealousy and mistrust led us to question the purity and innocence of the relationship
We're still pretending that our hearts are mended, safe from denial yet so offensive,
We continue to fake that we have moved on, but in reality, this denial is both dangerous and hurtful
So obvious we need a change, telling the truth, it feels so strange
It is evident that a change is necessary, but being honest and truthful is challenging and unfamiliar
All of this time, we have been pretending,
Reiterating that this relationship has been a lie all along
Believing our own lies, so we never have to give in,
We convinced ourselves of false truths to avoid confronting the reality of the situation
It's all so familiar, that I don't remember, where we went wrong,
The situation is all too familiar, but it is difficult to pinpoint exactly how the relationship deteriorated
Where did we go?
Asking where the relationship took a wrong turn
All of this time, we have been pretending,
Once again emphasizing that the relationship was a lie
Believing our own lies, so we never have to give in,
Repeating the pattern of lying to ourselves to avoid facing the reality of the situation
It's all so familiar, that I don't remember, where we went wrong,
Continuing to express confusion over the downfall of the relationship
Where did we go wrong?
Asking once again where the relationship went off track
Go wrong
The failure and deterioration of the relationship
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
pythonusr
Amazing song.