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
Kyoto
Small Black Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I got bored at the temple
Looked around at the 7-Eleven
The band took the speed train
Went to the arcade
I wanted to go but I didn't
Called me from a payphone
They still got pay phones
You tell me you're getting sober
And you wrote me a letter
But I don't have to read it
I'm gonna kill you
If you don't beat me to it
Dreaming through Tokyo skies
I wanted to see the world
Then I flew over the ocean
And I changed my mind
Sunset's been a freak show
On the weekend
So I'm driving out to the suburbs
To park at the Goodwill
Stare at the chemtrails
With my little brother
He said you called on his birthday
You were off by like ten days
But you get a few points for trying
Remember getting the truck fixed
When you let us drive it
Twenty-five felt like flying
I don't forgive you
But please don't hold me to it
Born under Scorpio skies
I wanted to see the world
Through your eyes until it happened
Then I changed my mind
Guess I lied
I'm a liar
Who lies
The lyrics of "Kyoto" by Small Black tell a story of a day off in Kyoto, Japan, where the singer experiences a mix of boredom, longing, and reflection. The song starts with the singer feeling bored at a temple and looking around at a 7-Eleven convenience store. The band they're with takes a speed train and goes to an arcade, but the singer decides not to go along. They receive a phone call from someone using a payphone, highlighting the nostalgia and outdated technology of the past.
In the second verse, the singer mentions receiving a letter from someone who claims to be getting sober, but they don't feel compelled to read it. There's a sense of detachment and indifference towards this person. The imagery then shifts to Tokyo skies and the singer's desire to see the world but changing their mind after flying over the ocean.
In the final verse, the singer describes the sunset as a "freak show" on the weekend and decides to drive to the suburbs and park at a Goodwill store. They mention staring at chemtrails with their little brother and recall a phone call made on his birthday but got the date wrong. There's a bittersweet nostalgia in the memory of the brother driving a truck, making them feel like they were flying at the age of twenty-five.
The song concludes with a confession of being a liar and recognizing their own dishonesty. The repetition of "I'm a liar, who lies" underscores a sense of self-awareness and perhaps regret in their actions and words.
Line by Line Meaning
Day off in Kyoto
Taking a break in the city of Kyoto
I got bored at the temple
Feeling uninterested while visiting a temple
Looked around at the 7-Eleven
Observing the surroundings near a 7-Eleven store
The band took the speed train
The musical group traveled on a high-speed train
Went to the arcade
Visited a place with arcade games
I wanted to go but I didn't
Having a desire to go somewhere but deciding against it
Called me from a payphone
Contacted me using a payphone
They still got pay phones
Payphones are still available
It cost a dollar a minute
Paying one dollar per minute for the call
You tell me you're getting sober
Informing me about your decision to become sober
And you wrote me a letter
Sending me a written message
But I don't have to read it
Choosing not to read the letter
I'm gonna kill you
Playfully expressing the intention to harm you
If you don't beat me to it
If you don't do it before I do
Dreaming through Tokyo skies
Imagining and experiencing the skies of Tokyo
I wanted to see the world
Having a desire to explore the world
Then I flew over the ocean
Traveling across the ocean by flying
And I changed my mind
Having a change of opinion or perspective
Sunset's been a freak show
The sunset has been unusual or extraordinary
On the weekend
During the weekend
So I'm driving out to the suburbs
Driving towards the suburban areas
To park at the Goodwill
Parking at a Goodwill store
Stare at the chemtrails
Gazing at the trails left by aircraft
With my little brother
In the company of my younger sibling
He said you called on his birthday
He mentioned that you called him on his birthday
You were off by like ten days
Your call came ten days after his actual birthday
But you get a few points for trying
Acknowledging and appreciating your effort
Remember getting the truck fixed
Recalling the time when the truck was repaired
When you let us drive it
When you allowed us to drive the truck
Twenty-five felt like flying
The age of twenty-five was euphoric or exhilarating
I don't forgive you
I do not grant you forgiveness
But please don't hold me to it
However, please do not expect me to adhere to it
Born under Scorpio skies
Being born under the astrological sign of Scorpio
I wanted to see the world
Having a desire to explore the world
Through your eyes until it happened
Through your perspective until a certain event or experience occurred
Then I changed my mind
Then I altered my opinion or viewpoint
Guess I lied
I suppose I deceived or misled
I'm a liar
I am someone who tells lies
Who lies
Who frequently engages in deception
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Marshall Vore, Morgan Nagler, Phoebe Bridgers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind