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
Goons
Small Black Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It does not hold back
Not hold back
It longs to be a snob and a heathen
Not hold back
Not hold back
Goons goons goons goons
Tonight I made the world want to steal from me
It will not hold back
Not hold back
But it wants a bigger cut than we agreed
It will not hold back
Not hold back
Goons goons goons goons
The lyrics to Small Black's song "Goons" speak to the darker side of the world, one where people are not afraid to be their worst selves. The singer starts by saying that they have seen the world "how it wants to be," meaning that the world has a natural inclination towards being selfish and morally questionable. The world "does not hold back" from these tendencies, eager to indulge in being both a "snob" and a "heathen." The repetition of the phrase "not hold back" reinforces this idea that the world is unafraid to be its worst self.
The second verse is more personal to the singer, describing a situation in which they have allowed the world to take advantage of them. Despite trying to make an agreement with the world not to "steal from me," the world still wants a "bigger cut" than what was promised. Again, the world "will not hold back" from taking what it desires. The repetition of the word "goons" at the end of each verse adds a menacing tone to the song, emphasizing the aggressive nature of the world the singer is describing.
Overall, "Goons" seems to be a commentary on the darker aspects of human nature and the sometimes cruel and selfish world we live in. The repetition of "not hold back" underscores the unapologetic nature of this world, while the repeated word "goons" creates a mood of aggression and danger.
Line by Line Meaning
Tonight I've sees the world how it wants to be
Tonight I had a clear perception of how the world desires to be seen.
It does not hold back
The world doesn't hesitate to show its true nature.
Not hold back
The world is uninhibited and unrestrained.
It longs to be a snob and a heathen
The world craves to adopt the attributes of elitism and immorality.
Tonight I made the world want to steal from me
Tonight I felt like I became an easy target for the world's thieves.
But it wants a bigger cut than we agreed
The world is greedy and wants more than what was initially agreed upon.
Goons goons goons goons
The looming presence of danger and violent individuals is constantly present.
Contributed by Samantha D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.