Small Black started with a name and worked backwards: a housemate of singer/multi-instrumentalist Josh Kolenik came up with the moniker on a cold Portland, Oregon night. The name stuck when he returned to Long Island, New York and began collaborating with Ryan Heyner, an area musician and former member of the hardcore band Silent Majority who shared friends with Kolenik. The pair holed up in the attic of the beach house and surfboard shop Kolenik's uncle owned to record songs with vintage keyboards and samplers, spending late 2008 and early 2009 recording as Uncle Matt made surfboards underneath them.
Though Kolenik had played in several bands before Small Black, the mix of shoegaze and synth pop he and Heyner hit upon felt special, and the group's lineup was complete once bassist/guitarist Juan Pieczanski and Jeff Curtin from Kolenik's previous band, Slowlands, joined to bolster production and fill out their live act. Small Black released their self-titled five-song EP on their own CassClub label in October 2009, and released the U.K. single "Despicable Dogs" as well as a video for that song featuring Uncle Matt soon after. Following their performances at that year’s CMJ Music Marathon, Small Black signed to Jagjaguwar Records, which reissued the band’s debut EP with two bonus tracks in 2010. That year, they also released a split single with the like-minded Washed Out, with whom they also toured. New Chain, the band's first full-length, boasted a slightly more polished sound that reflected their consistent touring as well as their interest in hip-hop and arrived in October 2010. In late 2011, the band offered the Moon Killer mixtape as a free download from their website. The collection of new material was built on samples ranging from Pere Ubu to Nicki Minaj and featured multiple drop-ins from Das Racist MC Heems as well as remixes from Star Slinger and Phonetag.
After spending much of 2012 on the road, Small Black returned with May 2013's Limits of Desire, a more sophisticated-sounding set influenced by Talk Talk and the Blue Nile. They covered the latter band's classic "Downtown Lights" on the following year's Real People EP, which had a more dancefloor-oriented style and featured vocals from Frankie Rose. Small Black's passion for sophisti-pop grew on October 2015's Best Blues. Recorded by the band in their Brooklyn home studio and mixed by Nicholas Vernhes at the Rare Book Room Studio, the album included contributions from trumpeter Darby Cicci of the Antlers and vocalist Kaede Ford. Soon after Best Blues' release, Kolenik's Uncle Matt passed away, and the memory of him inspired many of the songs on Small Black's fourth album. Arriving on 100% Electronica in April 2021, the reflective Cheap Dreams found the band returning from their hiatus with an extra dose of goth to their synth pop reveries. In 2023, Small Black looked back with a pair of archival releases. They commemorated the tenth anniversary of Limits of Desire with a deluxe edition of the album, and also issued a deluxe version of their debut EP that included previously unreleased songs from their early beach house sessions.
Biography by Heather Phares for ALLMUSIC
Free At Dawn
Small Black Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Keeping myself from you
Hoping you'll just
Come to
Holes in the bridge
Downwind, some drifting fire
As futures go
Well this one seems it fine
Dissolved
Convinced
I'd be
FREE AT DAWN
Took a walk
Along the pier alone
Hypnotized by a weakness
In the wood
A skeleton street
Snaked off another way
I was feeling reckless
As rain
Responsibility
Seemed odd
Awake
I was FREE AT DAWN
FREE AT DAWN
FREE AT DAWN
FREE AT DAWN
FREE AT DAWN
FREE AT DAWN
FREE AT DAWN
FREE AT DAWN
In Small Black's song "Free At Dawn," the lyrics depict a sense of liberation and freedom, both from self-imposed barriers and societal expectations. The opening lines reveal a narrator who has been keeping themselves distant from someone, possibly out of fear or reluctance. However, they hope that the other person will take the initiative to bridge the gap between them. The mention of "holes in the bridge" symbolizes the fragility and vulnerability of their connection. But despite this, the singer sees a promising future ahead.
The song then shifts to a scene where the singer takes a solitary walk along a pier. They become fascinated by a flaw or weakness in the wood, which becomes a point of fixation. This flaw, perhaps, serves as a metaphor for the singer's own imperfections or vulnerabilities. The mention of a "skeleton street" branching off in another direction suggests a desire for adventure and risk-taking. The singer admits to feeling reckless, and the rain is possibly used to represent the cleansing of their responsibilities and obligations.
Throughout the song, there is an emphasis on feeling free, especially at dawn. The repetition of "FREE AT DAWN" highlights the singer's desire to break free from the limitations and expectations holding them back. It's a liberating and empowering sentiment, as if the dawn brings renewal and an opportunity for a fresh start.
Overall, "Free At Dawn" explores themes of longing, hope, and the pursuit of personal freedom. It encourages listeners to embrace vulnerability and take risks in order to find liberation from the constraints of both themselves and society.
Line by Line Meaning
I'd been keeping myself
I had been isolating myself
Keeping myself from you
Avoiding being vulnerable with you
Hoping you'll just
Desiring for you to
Come to
Approach me
Holes in the bridge
Gaps in our connection
Downwind, some drifting fire
A distant flame carried by the wind
As futures go
When it comes to potential outcomes
Well this one seems it fine
This particular future seems desirable
Mornings and evenings
During both day and night
Dissolved
Vanished
Convinced
Certain
I'd be
I would be
FREE AT DAWN
Liberated during sunrise
Took a walk
Went for a stroll
Along the pier alone
By myself along the dock
Hypnotized by a weakness
Entranced by a vulnerability
In the wood
Within the structure
A skeleton street
An empty and bare roadway
Snaked off another way
Curved and branched in a different direction
I was feeling reckless
I was feeling impulsive
As rain
Similar to rainfall
Responsibility
Obligation
Seemed odd
Appeared unusual
Awake
Alert and conscious
I was FREE AT DAWN
I was unbound at sunrise
FREE AT DAWN
Liberated during sunrise
FREE AT DAWN
Liberated during sunrise
FREE AT DAWN
Liberated during sunrise
FREE AT DAWN
Liberated during sunrise
FREE AT DAWN
Liberated during sunrise
FREE AT DAWN
Liberated during sunrise
FREE AT DAWN
Liberated during sunrise
Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB.
Written by: Jeffrey Urso Curtin, Joshua Hayden Kolenik, Juan Pieczanski, Ryan Frank Heyner
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tr0nd15c
One of the greatest revelatory rock songs of the last 10 years. Incredible deep lyrics and rhythm. Speechless.
@garneroutlaw1
Not so sure about that, but it is definitely progressive and the perfect union of shoegaze and synth pop. I have a small boat, and I took it out on the lake all night this summer on a full moon. Lake was like glass. Anchored, smoked the whole joint, and this song came on. Really made my night and made it something special to remember.
@TheJazzyjeff333
After "Breathless" and "Limits of Desire".....this is my other BEST song of Small Black. WTF; just place all of their other music in order.... :-) Incredible band with talent, energy and dimensional exploration.
@OneEyedDragonParty
I love how this band has that early 90s synth pop vibe in their music.
@lakisha918
How didn't I know this band before?! They're great damn
@user-tk4gr9zo7t
This is such an amazing song 💕
@SMHS28
They definitely have the 80's dream pop influence...where would we be without Robin Guthrie?
@Aejotz
My new favorite band. All the songs from this album are stunning. The videos from this album are stunning. The album cover is stunning. My friends, we are witnessing the dawn of a classic.
@bringyourownheart
just happened to catch them playing downtown last night… wasn't familiar with them, but now I will be. great show.
@MEMPHISGROUP
Whenever I am weak & imprisoned inside of my depression and borderline personality symptoms. I’ll revisit this warm electro pop Heaven 🌅