The name Silversun Pickups refers to a liquor store across the road L.A. rock-scene hang Silverlake Lounge. One of the band’s friends would often arrive at the store late at night to buy liquor, and would be as such making the "Silversun Pickup".
The band is signed to Dangerbird Records. They released their debut EP "Pikul" in July of 2005. The band has released four albums, 2006's "Carnavas", 2009's "Swoon", 2012's "Neck of the Woods" and 2015's "Better Nature". The band managed two Top 10 singles on Billboard's Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart in 2007: "Lazy Eye" (#5) and "Well Thought Out Twinkles" (#9). In 2009, they managed their third top 10 on the chart, "Panic Switch" (#1) and a fourth song "Substitution" was also on that chart (#23).
Silversun Pickups have been compared to The Smashing Pumpkins (possibly due in part to Brian Aubert's vocal style) and 90's shoegazing bands like My Bloody Valentine, Lush, Ride, and Slowdive. Silversun Pickups claim they have been heavily influenced by Modest Mouse and The Velvet Underground as well as other lesser-known acts.
Their first break came when a friend mailed a boombox demo to CMJ and they were accepted. They got their start in many of the most important L.A. clubs and began to draw a strong following upon the release of the Pikul EP. This culminated in frequent touring, including a co-headlining stint with Viva Voce.
The band finished a three-week tour opening for Australian rockers Wolfmother on December 9, 2006, and have toured with OK Go and Snow Patrol on their U.S. spring tour, which ended on April 10, 2007. The Pickups played at the Coachella Music Festival in Indio, California on April 27, 2007.
The band supported Foo Fighters, along with Nine Inch Nails on August 21st 2007 as part of the 'T on the Fringe' music festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, and then on the 22nd in Marley Park, Dublin, Ireland. They also performed at the Carling Reading and Leeds festivals on the 25th/26th August 2007 and supported Kaiser Chiefs on their Autumn European tour and Snow Patrol on their tour of Australia (with Paolo from Snow Patrol joining them regularly to play guitar on Lazy Eye and Nikki guesting on vocals for Snow Patrol's Set The Fire To The Third Bar onstage). On some of these dates the band have been covering Joy Division's Shadowplay and Bjork's Big Time Sensuality, both of which have been recorded for web or radio sessions.
The second full studio album, entitled "Swoon", was released 14th April 2009 in both the US and UK.
The band was also part of Lollapalooza 2009 in Chicago, IL, Voodoo Fest 2009 and 2012 in New Orleans, and the 2009 Sasquatch! Festival.
In early 2010, they supported the UK anthem-rock superstars Muse for several of their North American dates for The Resistance tour.
Waste It On
Silversun Pickups Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm really into it
Candor leaves us far behind
Let's see how twisted we can be
Soak up pleasantries
Of mildew and stitchery
The needlepoint has set designs
Waste it on
We waste it on
We waste it on
Let's start making
Maps out of all the dead skin
That maybe causing false alarms
It might be peeling much too quickly
Clean up with me
The homemade surgeries
My veneers sink into you
And show how twisted we can be when we
Waste it on
We waste it on
We waste it on
On sullen meadows that will fit right in
With lisping rivers that will fit right in
With mountain ranges through matted lenses
That will fit right in connect and dissect so we
With all your meadows they'll still see right in
With all your rivers they'll still see right in
No mountain ranges will stop them sensing
And they'll see right in and see right through 'cause we
Waste it on
We waste it on
We waste it on
We waste it on
The lyrics to Silversun Pickups' song Waste It On appear to be about two individuals who are able to find comfort and pleasure in their own darkness and twistedness. The first verse begins by seemingly trying to cheer up a woman who is feeling down. However, the following lines suggest that the singer is actually pleased that they can "twist" together. The second verse uses morbid imagery to describe the singer's urge to make something out of dead skin and homemade surgeries. While this may seem unsettling, it reveals the singer's desire to see beauty in even the most unpleasant things.
The chorus, "we waste it on," suggests that the individuals are aware that their actions are not productive, and may even be damaging to themselves. However, they seem content with this, as the repetition of the phrase indicates a sense of surrender.
The final verse describes how the individuals' twistedness is, in a way, beautiful and unique. Despite their efforts to hide away, the world sees through them and accepts them for who they are.
Overall, the song explores the concept of finding beauty in even the darkest parts of ourselves and reveling in our own individuality, regardless of how unsettling it may seem.
Line by Line Meaning
Cheer up lady
Encouraging the person to feel better
I'm really into it
Expressing an interest in the person/situation
Candor leaves us far behind
Being truthful is distant/beyond us
Let's see how twisted we can be
Let's explore our darker sides
Soak up pleasantries
Take in comforting/pleasant things
Of mildew and stitchery
Things that are old and worn out
The needlepoint has set designs
The pattern has already been made
To show how easy it can be when we
To demonstrate how effortless it is for us
Waste it on
Putting energy into something that doesn't matter
Let's start making
Begin doing something
Maps out of all the dead skin
Using old/dead things to make something new
That maybe causing false alarms
That may be giving us incorrect signals
It might be peeling much too quickly
Things might be deteriorating faster than expected
Clean up with me
Let's fix things together
The homemade surgeries
Attempting to fix something on our own
My veneers sink into you
My fake exterior becomes part of you
And show how twisted we can be when we
And demonstrate the extent of our darkness
On sullen meadows that will fit right in
In dreary surroundings where we belong
With lisping rivers that will fit right in
With rivers that flow weakly, like us
With mountain ranges through matted lenses
With distorted views of majestic landscapes
That will fit right in connect and dissect so we
So we can fit in and break down things we don't understand
With all your meadows they'll still see right in
Even in pleasant surroundings, they'll see through our facade
With all your rivers they'll still see right in
Even in calming surroundings, they'll see through our facade
No mountain ranges will stop them sensing
Even in majestic surroundings, they'll see through our facade
And they'll see right in and see right through 'cause we
They'll see inside us and understand us for our darkness
Waste it on
Putting energy into something that doesn't matter
We waste it on
Continuing to expend energy on futile endeavors
We waste it on
Putting all our resources into things that are insignificant
We waste it on
Giving our all to things that are not meaningful
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind