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
Light Curse
Small Black Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The lyrics to Small Black's song "Light Curse" convey a sense of restlessness, dissatisfaction, and a longing for something more. The opening lines, "Don't you say that I'm lazy, I didn't even want to go there," suggest a resistance to societal expectations and a reluctance to conform. The mention of "lost kilometers and white stairs" implies a journey or pursuit that may be aimless or unfulfilling. However, despite any lack of direction, the singer always keeps moving, emphasizing a sense of restless determination.
The repetition of the phrase "I go always" further emphasizes the singer's perpetual motion and perhaps a search for meaning or purpose. The following lines, "I don't want to hear about the way you feel, naked and slumped in a folding chair, you wouldn't want it any other way," suggest a detachment from emotional vulnerability and a preference for maintaining a certain level of distance or independence.
The chorus introduces the concept of light as a curse that remains, creating a juxtaposition between something typically seen as positive (light) and its negative implications. The singer acknowledges that they are "better with their right arm," implying a reliance on their own abilities and strengths. They seek validation and reassurance in their work, expressing a desire for the feeling they can count on. However, there may also be a sense of doubt or uncertainty, questioning whether their efforts have been in vain or if their curse has disappeared.
The bridge section introduces a note of reflection and introspection, addressing a mysterious "young one" and inquiring about their actions and motivations. The questions, "What were you doing? What were you running from?" suggest a search for personal understanding and a recognition of the universal human desire to escape or avoid certain situations or emotions.
Overall, the lyrics of "Light Curse" evoke a sense of restlessness, the struggle for personal fulfillment, and a questioning of one's purpose. The song seems to touch on themes of independence, emotional detachment, and the complexity of finding meaning in a world that often feels confusing and uncertain.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't you say that I'm lazy
Please refrain from labeling me as lazy
I didn't even want to go there
I had no desire to be in that situation
Lost kilometers and white stairs
Navigating a disorienting path
but I go always, go always
Nevertheless, I persist
I don't want to hear about the way you feel
I am uninterested in your emotions
Naked and slumped in a folding chair
Vulnerable and defeated, seated in a collapsible chair
You wouldn't want it any other way
Deep down, you prefer it to be like this
Now that all others have gone away
With everyone else departed
To walk among lesser rain
To navigate through mild adversity
Light is the curse that remains
A faint glow serves as a lingering burden
And you're better with your right arm
You are more capable with your dominant hand
Yes, the feeling you're counting on
Indeed, the sensation you rely on
And you need it clearly
You require it to be evident
Might you feel your work was wasted here
Do you perhaps believe your efforts were futile in this place?
Might you feel your curse has disappeared
Do you sense that your burden has vanished?
Echoing the life I waited for
Resonating with the existence I longed for
Left to hang out on the line
Left to be exposed and uncertain
Light is the curse left behind
A dim glow remains as the burden
Hey young one
Greetings, youthful individual
What were you doing?
What actions were you engaging in?
What were you running from?
What were you fleeing?
What were you running from?
What were you running away from?
Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB.
Written by: Joshua Hayden Kolenik, Juan Pieczanski, Ryan Frank Heyner
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mantodeaneotropical1659
Don't you say that I'm lazy
I didn't even want to go there Lost kilometers and white stairs but
I go always, go always I go always, go always I go always I don't want to hear about the way you feel Naked and slumped in a folding chair
You wouldn't want it any other way
Now that all others have gone away
To walk among lesser rain Light is the curse that remains And you're better with your right arm
Yes, the feeling you're counting on
And you need it clearly
Might you feel your work was wasted here
Might you feel your curse has disappeared
Echoing the life
l waited for Left to hang out on the line Light is the curse left behind
And you're better with your right arm
The feeling you're counting on And you need it clearly
Might you feel your work was wasted here
Might you feel your curse has disappeared
Hey young one What were you doing? What were you running from? What were you running from?
@jackbudgen8858
the composition of this song is perfect
@mantodeaneotropical1659
Don't you say that I'm lazy
I didn't even want to go there Lost kilometers and white stairs but
I go always, go always I go always, go always I go always I don't want to hear about the way you feel Naked and slumped in a folding chair
You wouldn't want it any other way
Now that all others have gone away
To walk among lesser rain Light is the curse that remains And you're better with your right arm
Yes, the feeling you're counting on
And you need it clearly
Might you feel your work was wasted here
Might you feel your curse has disappeared
Echoing the life
l waited for Left to hang out on the line Light is the curse left behind
And you're better with your right arm
The feeling you're counting on And you need it clearly
Might you feel your work was wasted here
Might you feel your curse has disappeared
Hey young one What were you doing? What were you running from? What were you running from?
@biffbuttsavage
This is killer. Gimme more!
@chanelgeee
still a banger in 2020 ❤️
@jackbudgen8858
Don't you say that I'm lazy I didn't even want to go there Lost kilometers and white stairs but I go always, go always I go always, go always I go always I don't want to ... Panthers in the aisles Laying in disguise Panthers in the aisles Stalking. that's all i got
@lifetimeskater877
Anybody know what synths they use?
@themusicbirdie
i need to find the lyrics to this sonngggg
@thedustinheath
NEED LYRICS
@Kewanh1
Ahhhmazing
@bifftetherton7495
1:19 hol up the camera's on me