Settle - four extremely talented individuals from Pennsylvania who play indie rock, have great personal style and even better record collections – have signed with Epitaph Records. The band is currently recording with Adam Lasus, best known for his work with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Yo La Tengo.
Versatile and prolific, the band’s favorites range from the Liars to Questlove, though the fellas say they are influenced more by the news and video games and Facebook than anything else. They have penned nearly 100 songs and sold 20,000 copies collectively of two self-released EPs. And while the songs range from soulful laments to skillfully crafted pop to ironic indie rock, the common thread running through the music is that Settle writes unbelievably catchy songs.
Hailing from the wintry wilds of eastern PA, brothers Nick and Willie Rose (vox/guitars and drums respectively) formed Settle in 2001. The usual turmoil ensued as members came and went until the band finally solidified with the addition of Dave Goletz (guitar) a few years later and most recently Chris Burcin (bass).
In 2006, the band won an MTV-sponsored contest, "Best Music on Campus." Trading their anoraks for flip flops, Settle performed at MTV’s Spring Break extravaganza in Cancun Mexico. While the bikini-clad girls and muscle-bound guys might not have been Settle’s usual crowd, who tend more towards New Balance and vintage tees, the contest served to pair the band with Epitaph, and, more importantly, #1 fan and label president Brett Gurewitz.
"Settle has everything I admire in a great band: poetry, tunefulness, originality and...
Murder
Settle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Its' been so long since I'd seen her last.
Her face was the only thing that remained,
Pale and innocent, on a scandalous frame.
She was sitting cross-legged, her foot like a clock
Ticking nervously, she never stopped
She swallowed my face, devoured my eyes.
I feel so wrong
She's just a memory now.
Murder! she cried, you devil.
Give me back what you've taken from me!
Murder! she cried, you devil.
You knew me once, and you threw me away.
At night we'd walk under the trees
Because we'd joke about being burnt by the moon.
She always said she wanted everything,
She held my hand tighter as we neared a park bench.
Nostalgia's king when you're nights are alone,
I used to swim the seas before I found someone.
And there she was, locking eyes with a stranger.
She was busy wishing she had time to change this.
She's just a memory now
The lyrics of Settle's song "Murder" tell a story of regret and guilt in a relationship that once was. The singer is trying desperately to remember the name of a woman he once knew. He remembers her face, which was the only thing that remained in his memories. The singer describes her innocence on a scandalous frame which hints at some trouble in the past. He later finds himself face-to-face with her, and she devours his eyes with a look. She knew he hadn't changed, and he feels wrong because of it. As he reminisces, they used to walk at night, and she joked about being burnt by the moon. The woman had a desire for everything in life, and the singer remembers the time they spent together.
But something had changed, and the singer has found someone new. He looks back on his past relationship with this woman and feels remorse. He realizes that he threw her away, and she cries out to him, calling him a devil for what he's taken from her. He acknowledges his wrongdoing, and it's evident that he still holds some feelings for her. Nevertheless, he concludes that she's just a memory now.
The lyrics in "Murder" are poetically expressive and communicate a bitter nostalgia. The idea of someone drowning in their memories is prevalent, and the song captures the complexity of feeling guilty for something you cannot change. The song's tone is melancholic, gritty, and introspective, which makes the lyrics even more powerful.
Line by Line Meaning
I was trying hard to remember her name,
Even though it had been a long time since I had seen her, I still wanted to remember her name.
Its' been so long since I'd seen her last.
It had been a significant amount of time since I had seen her.
Her face was the only thing that remained,
Even though time had passed, the only thing that stuck with me was her face.
Pale and innocent, on a scandalous frame.
Her face was delicate and innocent-looking, but her body was scandalous.
She was sitting cross-legged, her foot like a clock
She was sitting with her legs crossed, moving her foot like a ticking clock.
Ticking nervously, she never stopped
Her foot tapping was an indication of how nervous she was, and she never stopped doing it.
She swallowed my face, devoured my eyes.
She stared intently into my eyes, making me feel like she was devouring my soul.
I hadn't changed, she knew I hadn't changed.
She could see that I had not changed, and I knew she could see this.
I feel so wrong
I have a sense of guilt or wrongdoing that I am feeling.
She's just a memory now.
She is no longer a part of my life and is only a distant memory.
Murder! she cried, you devil.
She screamed out, calling me a devil and accusing me of murder.
Give me back what you've taken from me!
She demanded that I give back whatever I had taken from her.
You knew me once, and you threw me away.
I had known her in the past, but I had thrown her away like she was nothing.
At night we'd walk under the trees
We used to stroll under the trees at night.
Because we'd joke about being burnt by the moon.
We would make jokes about the moon burning us.
She always said she wanted everything,
She always said that she wanted to have everything in life.
She held my hand tighter as we neared a park bench.
As we walked toward a park bench, she squeezed my hand tighter in her own.
Nostalgia's king when you're nights are alone,
When you are alone at night, nostalgia has power over you.
I used to swim the seas before I found someone.
Before I had found someone, I used to swim through life without much direction.
And there she was, locking eyes with a stranger.
I saw her, and she was looking intensely into the eyes of a stranger.
She was busy wishing she had time to change this.
She was hoping she could do something to change her current situation but didn't think she had the time.
Contributed by Taylor B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
josh lueders
they are ridiculously good especially live! they were really loud and equally great!
SebsVids
i saw them last night..they were amazing this was my favorite song
Aeryn Black
i'm so proud of these boys :D
Reymar Sarmiento
wow this is awesome! good band good song catchy lyrics...MURDER! first time hearing this
ChaosFerKids
I really like this song, its catchy. <3
REVIVETHERADIO
so stoked we get to play with them soon on may 1st! i love them! :D
Michael McNally
Yea Willie! Love this video man! Keep doing your thing!
Remy K
LOVE IT !
uv.vibes
wow they finally have a video for this song!! woo, its my fav, this bad rocks, well epitaph needs to start getting there shit together again. i mean they dont even have escape the fate or the matches anymore, and they were there best bands.
Ericka Exoticc
i never heard of these guys. but, they sound good :D