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
Limits Of Desire
Small Black Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wanted relief
from wanting
A moment beneath
nothing at all
A cold wind
the streak of the shore
Yes I fled him
he who I had loved
too much
Limits
Limits of Desire
I listened for news
of the road
Home was a room
without a role
Other lives droned
far from the grass where I lay
Each eye stared out
the opposite way
Limits
Limits of Desire
Is there no
Is there no
limit?
The lyrics of Small Black's song "Limits Of Desire" delve into the complex emotions and longings associated with desire. The first verse introduces the yearning for relief from wanting. It suggests a desire for a moment of respite, a break from the constant longing for something more. The line "A moment beneath nothing at all" can be interpreted as a desire for emptiness, a brief escape from the overwhelming weight of desire itself.
The second verse paints a picture of a cold wind and a gingham flap, evoking a sense of solitude and detachment. The mention of "the streak of the shore" adds a visual element to the song, possibly symbolizing the passage of time or the fleeting nature of desire. The following line, "Yes I fled him, he who I had loved too much," reveals a past relationship where the singer loved someone excessively. This suggests that their desire for this person exceeded healthy boundaries, leading them to seek escape.
The repeating refrain of "Limits, limits of desire" underscores the main theme of the song. It highlights the inherent restrictions and boundaries that desire can impose on individuals. It implies that desire, no matter how powerful, has its limitations. These limitations may stem from societal norms, personal ethics, or simply the inability to satisfy every craving.
The final lines of the song hint at a longing for something more, questioning the existence of limits to desire. The repetition of the phrase "Is there no limit?" conveys a sense of yearning and frustration. It suggests that despite the acknowledgment of limits, the desire itself persists, driving the singer to question whether there truly are any boundaries to what they can long for and seek.
Overall, "Limits Of Desire" explores the paradoxical nature of longing and the inherent restrictions that desire brings. It invites listeners to reflect on the consequences of excessive desire and the potential benefits of finding relief from the never-ending cycle of wanting.
Line by Line Meaning
I wanted relief
I desired to be free from wanting
from wanting
escaping from the constant feeling of desire
A moment beneath
a brief period of time underneath
nothing at all
complete emptiness and absence
A cold wind
a chilling gust of wind
gingham flap
the sound of fluttering gingham fabric
the streak of the shore
the distinctive mark left by the shore
Yes I fled him
indeed, I ran away from him
he who I had loved
the person whom I had deeply loved
too much
to an excessive extent
Limits
the boundaries or restrictions
Limits of Desire
the limitations of one's longing or craving
I listened for news
I eagerly awaited any updates or information
of the road
regarding the path or journey
Home was a room
my dwelling was merely a space
without a role
with no meaningful purpose or function
Other lives droned
the existence of others became monotonous and dull
far from the grass where I lay
distant from the place where I rested on the grass
Each eye stared out
every gaze looked outward
the opposite way
in a different direction
Limits
the boundaries or restrictions
Limits of Desire
the limitations of one's longing or craving
Is there no
does there not exist any
Is there no
does there not exist any
limit?
boundary or constraint?
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