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 yearโs CMJ Music Marathon, Small Black signed to Jagjaguwar Records, which reissued the bandโs 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
Moon Killer
Small Black Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Never make you shine, never make you shine
Up in the morning and out the door
What I m for
God is she says you re the one
Good friend nothing of the ones
But, that s an ugly way to do this
The tools I lay them out for you
The tools I lay them out for you
But I never make you shine, never make you shine
Never make you shine, never make you shine,
Never make you shine, never make you shine,
It s the tools I lay and I feel
And I hear there s a better way to do it
And I hear there s a better way to do it
And I hear there s a better way to do it
But I work it
But I never make you shine, never make you shine
Never make you shine, never make you shine,
Never make you shine, never make you shine,
But, that s an ugly way to do this
The tools I lay them out for you
That s an ugly way to do this
The tools I lay them out for you
But I
Never make you shine, never make you shine,
Never make you shine, never make you shine.
The lyrics of Small Black's song "Moon Killer" seem to be exploring the idea of someone trying their best to help another person, but feeling like they are ultimately unable to make them truly shine or succeed. The repetition of the lines "never make you shine" reinforces this feeling of failure, and the lyrics suggest that the subject has laid out tools or resources to help this person, but ultimately feels like their efforts are "an ugly way to do this."
The lyrics also reference "God is she," which could be interpreted in a few different ways. It could be a reference to a divine feminine presence, or it could be a phrase used colloquially to express surprise or admiration for someone's abilities. Either way, it seems like this person is telling the subject that they are "the one" - perhaps someone with great potential or talent.
Overall, the lyrics of "Moon Killer" convey a sense of helplessness and frustration in trying to support someone else's success. Despite laying out tools and hearing that there may be a better way to help, the subject feels like they are unable to truly make this person shine.
Line by Line Meaning
Never make you shine, never make you shine
I never make you stand out or be noticed, I never give you the chance to shine.
Up in the morning and out the door
I wake up and leave home every day.
What I m for
I question my purpose or reason for being here.
God is she says you re the one
A woman exclaims that you are the chosen one or the right person for the job.
Good friend nothing of the ones
Despite being a good friend, I haven't accomplished anything significant.
But, that s an ugly way to do this
I acknowledge that my approach to something is not ideal or attractive.
The tools I lay them out for you
I provide you with the necessary equipment or resources to succeed.
But I never make you shine, never make you shine
Despite providing the tools, I still do not allow you to shine or excel.
It s the tools I lay and I feel
I take pride in providing the necessary resources but still feel unaccomplished.
And I hear there s a better way to do it
I am aware of more effective methods to achieve success.
But I work it
Despite knowing better approaches, I stick to my current method and work hard at it.
That s an ugly way to do this
Again, I acknowledge that my approach is not the best or most attractive.
The tools I lay them out for you
I continue to provide the necessary resources for success.
But I never make you shine, never make you shine
Despite my efforts, I continue to hold you back and prevent you from shining.
Never make you shine, never make you shine
Reiterating that I am the reason for your lack of success or recognition.
Contributed by Zachary N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Rodolfo Cruz
never make you try
up in the morning
and at the door
what a mystery
what in heavenss for?
goddess lifted
she says you're the one
good for nothing servant
you're the worst
but
it's the only way to do things
here's the tools
I'll lay them out for you
that's the only way to do things
here's the tools
I'll lay them out for you
but I
never make you try (x5)
here's the tools
I'll lay them out for you
touching them
but don't know how to use
and I hear there's a better way to do it (x3)
but I wanna wanna wanna work you
wanna wanna
but I
never make you try (x4)
it's the only way to do things
here's the tools
I'll lay them out for you
that's the only way to do things
here's the tools
I'll lay them out for you
but I
never make you try
I wanna wanna wanna wanna wanna wanna wanna
I don't wanna
I don't wanna whole moon
I wanna wanna wanna wanna wanna wanna wanna
I want your your bullet
all I wanna wanna wanna wanna wanna try
all I really wanna try is be a moon killer
never make you try
all I ever really wanna do is try
froggo doggo
I can't believe I randomly remembered this deep cut after 8 years
The cold glass of water show
I think it every time to time
lyssie
crazy i was scrolling through my old playlists and found this from when i was a sophomore in highschool
TheTuttle99
@Jacob Salgado hell yeah dude high school memories. I saw them a few years back. Fuckin amazing
Jacob Salgado
I heard it while trying to compile a Jennifer Connelly video like 4 years ago trying to forget about a broken heart. I get to see these guys in August FINALLY. New Chain was one of my most played throughout high school
unoriginalgoals
Good to know people still have good taste in music.
weswally1
Can we please get this on spotify guys?
Brad Baker
Why is this not on spotify? Been waiting 4 yrs
Glenn Beaty
It's available in full on spotify - moon killer mixtape. available on their website in limited physical quantity
Anton's Class
I am deeply in love with this song. It moves my SOUL. I can feel it....