Sivu is British singer-songwriter James Page.

Affecting and anthemic… Read Full Bio ↴Sivu is British singer-songwriter James Page.

Affecting and anthemic, 'Miracle (Human Error)' is a bold step forward from Sivu - marrying his trademark brand of baroque-pop, which has drawn frequent comparisons with Wild Beasts, to the soaring, wide-screen quality of Arcade Fire, and the distorted, aggressive guitars of Radiohead circa-'Creep'. It's a dramatic but ultimately uplifting mix, produced alongside long-term collaborator Charlie Andrew (who has recently completed the second Alt-J album, due for release in September). The surreal accompanying video, in which a couple collide as the world appears to collapse around them, was directed by Georgia Hudson (who has recently worked with Klaxons, Swim Deep and MØ).

Whilst growing in confidence and ambition, lyrically 'Miracle (Human Error)' retains the intimate, internal conflictions that run throughout Sivu's work. He started writing solo songs two years ago, upon moving from a sleepy Cambridgeshire town to a claustrophobic apartment on the twentieth floor of a daunting ex-council block in Kennington. Frank Sinatra's'Strangers In The Night' was the blueprint for a glitchy form of melodically dreamy, idiosyncratic pop, whilst the name Sivu was equally strange but memorable: a translation of his surname in Finnish, it's a fitting snapshot of the dark and lyrically direct mirror-image that would become James Page's performing alias. New single 'Miracle (Human Error)' was penned shortly after breakthrough moment 'Better Man Than He', whose viral video (filmed in an MRI machine) was filmed in between shifts working in a call centre, and picked up over half a million hits - with M.I.A among those declaring it her video of the year.
And like 'Better Man', 'Miracle (Human Error)' sees Sivu's mind wandering towards bigger topics, often between dead-end sales calls from the office. It's a vocal fear of The Unknown, asking questions of both the short-term, day-to-day acclimatisation to London life, and the bigger-picture crisis of our place in the cosmos. Not being religious, it's a theme Sivu was surprised to find himself returning to. "With social media and technology, it sometimes feels like we're all getting a little colder and are becoming just a bunch of URLs," he explains, pointing to the oddly-sing-along chorus of "because it's time to collide / this human error's what we're made for / but now we're dead inside / we're ones and zeros of a half-lived life"."I've always suffered from quite bad anxiety, and 'Miracle (Human Error)' is about that sense of feeling small in the world - and me being as honest as possible, to move forward."
Sivu has recently completed his debut album, ”Something On High”, a stunning soundtrack of time spent settling into a new city, young-adulthood, and ultimately his own skin.

https://soundcloud.com/sivusignals

Departure
Sivu Lyrics

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With words too touching to say
You eased in your departure
When life gets in the way
From your dreams starting much faster
You're just coming of age
Waiting for your master

Let's jet ourselves in space

Erase ourselves from human race
Where time means nothing
And youth's just a taste

It's medicine
You're my medicine

As light chases the day
And the stars come out so slightly
To watch life come together
Only to die the next day

Let's jet ourselves in space
Erase ourselves from human race
Where time means nothing
And youth's just a taste

It's medicine
You're my medicine

We're just waves that crash off the rock
Only time means anything
We're just waves that crash off the rock
Only time means anything
We're just waves that crash off the rock
Only time means anything

Let's jet ourselves in space
Erase ourselves from human race
Where time means nothing
And youth's just a taste

It's medicine
You're my medicine

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Sivu's song Departure are about a person who is leaving or departing from the singer's life. This departure is not easy, and the singer finds it difficult to express the depth of their emotions with words. The person leaving is likely someone the singer cares deeply about, and they probably had big dreams and aspirations that were cut short by the harsh realities of life. The person is young and waiting for someone to guide them or be their "master".

To escape the pain of this departure, the singer suggests that they "jet" themselves into space to erase themselves from the human race. The space travel is a metaphor for leaving behind the troubles of the world and finding peace in a place where time means nothing and youth is only a fleeting experience. The singer sees the person leaving as medicine for their pain and they cling to them in their time of need.

The last lines of the song liken humans to waves crashing off a rock, with time being the only thing that has any real meaning. The departure of this person from the singer's life is a reminder of the impermanence of life and the need to cherish each moment.

Line by Line Meaning

With words too touching to say
You left with such deep emotions that words could not express

You eased in your departure
You left with ease and grace

When life gets in the way
When reality interferes with our dreams

From your dreams starting much faster
Your dreams have taken off rapidly

You're just coming of age
You're at the beginning of your journey

Waiting for your master
You're waiting for life to guide you

Let's jet ourselves in space
Let's escape from the world we know

Erase ourselves from human race
Let's remove ourselves from humanity

Where time means nothing
Let's go to a place where time is irrelevant

And youth's just a taste
Where youth is fleeting

It's medicine
This escape is therapeutic