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
Outskirts
Small Black Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I stood and watched
longer than I should
What was I waiting for?
Get in, get out
maybe take a glance
don't linger there
they'll see you're stare
On the outskirts
looking in
On the outskirts
Looking in
Too many day & nights
have been spent
in plain siight.
What's the maximum I'm
willing to give?
What's the maximum I'm
going to be happy with?
Call Lottie
Ask for the news
But there's no point
you already knew
See the cracks
in following the facts
Put yourself on notice
Put yourself away
On the outskirts
looking in
On the outskirts
Always been
What's the maximum I'm
willing to give?
Whats the maximum
I'm going to be happy with ?
The lyrics of Small Black's song Outskirts depict a feeling of uncertainty and detachment that often arises when we try to fit in with a certain group or society. The song speaks about standing on the outskirts and looking in, attempting to belong, yet feeling isolated at the same time. It starts with the singer admitting that they've stayed longer than they should have, hinting that they might not be welcome in the place they're at, and wonders what exactly they are waiting for. It seems like they are trying to fit in, but the tension between belonging and detachment seems too profound to ignore.
The second half of the song talks about the internal conflict between the maximum amount one is willing to give and what makes them happy. The singer is asking themselves an essential question and trying to find a way to navigate their own desires with their surroundings. They make a phone call to Lottie for the news but realizes that there's no point since they already knew what they were going to hear. The lyrics point to the futility of trying to fit in or understand the events happening in their environment.
The song's overall tone is one of contemplation, talking about the feeling of being on the outskirts of a group and looking in from the outside. There's a sense of wanting to detach oneself from noise and distractions around and aligning oneself to a level of consciousness where the internal dialogue can drive the direction you take your life.
Line by Line Meaning
I stood and watched
I remained stood at a place and observed something happening
longer than I should
Spent more time than it was necessary
What was I waiting for?
Expression of confusion regarding the reason for waiting
Get in, get out
Quickly enter and exit
maybe take a glance
Briefly take a look
but for chrissakes,
Expression of urgency or annoyance
don't linger there
Do not stay there for a long time
they'll see you're stare
Someone will notice if you stare for too long
On the outskirts
Being at the edge, far from the center
looking in
Watching from a distance
Too many day & nights
Numerous past days and nights
have been spent
Time was used up
in plain sight.
In an obvious or visible location
What's the maximum I'm
What is the highest amount am I
willing to give?
What is the greatest extent of my generosity?
What's the maximum I'm
What is the highest amount am I
going to be happy with?
What is the maximum level that will keep me content?
Call Lottie
Contact someone called Lottie
Ask for the news
Request some information
But there's no point
There is no reason
you already knew
You were already aware
See the cracks
Observe the indications of faults or weaknesses
in following the facts
Problems in sticking to reality or truth
Put yourself on notice
Be wary of your behavior or situation
Put yourself away
Distance yourself from the present situation
On the outskirts
Far away from the center
looking in
Observing from a distance
On the outskirts
Distant from the central activity
Always been
It has consistently been this way
Whats the maximum
What is the highest amount
I'm going to be
I will be
happy with ?
Satisfied with?
Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB., Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Jeffrey Urso Curtin, Joshua Hayden Kolenik, Juan Pieczanski, Ryan Frank Heyner
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind