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
Postcard
Small Black Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the house where your parents lived
Postcard on the fridge
But I never even looked at it
Seemed like a long way off
From nothing
At least you were somewhere
I wasn′t
This is
This is where we live
This is
Where we live
Nothing we can do about it
Nothing we can do about it
Nothing we can do about it
God moves the traffic along
Put me on the milk carton
Watch me blow across the lawn
You said my life's a narrow one
But maybe it′s the one I want?
We don't choose the place we start
Have fun wherеver you are
I know it's not that far
This is
This is wherе we live
This is
Where we live
Nothing we can do about it
Nothing we can do about it
Nothing we can do about it
Nothing we can do about it
Nothing we can do about it
Nothing we can do about it
This is where we live
The lyrics to Small Black's song "Postcard" explore themes of complacency, longing for escape, and the acceptance of one's circumstances. The song begins with the singer waking up in a familiar and ordinary environment, symbolized by the "grid" and "the house where your parents lived." There is a postcard on the fridge, representing a reminder of something distant and unknown. However, the singer confesses to never even looking at it, indicating a lack of interest or curiosity in exploring new possibilities. Despite feeling trapped, they recognize that at least the other person mentioned in the song is "somewhere," while they remain stuck in their current state.
The chorus emphasizes the viewpoint that this is where they live, and there is nothing they can do about it. It portrays a resigning attitude towards their circumstances, acknowledging that circumstances are beyond their control. The mention of God moving the traffic along and being put on a milk carton suggests a feeling of insignificance and powerlessness in the face of larger forces at play.
The second verse further explores the singer's sense of limitation and the questioning of their choices. They acknowledge that maybe their life is narrow, but wonder if it's the life they truly desire. The sense of not being able to choose one's starting point is highlighted, suggesting that sometimes we have to make the best of what we have. The song concludes with a bittersweet message, telling the listener to have fun wherever they are, acknowledging that it may not be far from where the singer stands.
Overall, "Postcard" reflects on the acceptance of circumstances, the longing for escape, and the ambiguity of desire. It portrays a sense of resignation while also encouraging finding joy in one's current situation.
Line by Line Meaning
Wake up in the grid
Starting the day feeling trapped and confined in a rigid routine
In the house where your parents lived
Living in a home that carries the weight of your family's history and expectations
Postcard on the fridge
A reminder of a distant and seemingly unattainable destination
But I never even looked at it
Ignoring the possibility of something better or different
Seemed like a long way off
Appeared too distant or unrealistic to reach
From nothing
Coming from a place of emptiness or lack of opportunities
At least you were somewhere
Acknowledging that even though not ideal, being elsewhere has some value
I wasn't
Feeling stuck and without a sense of escape or progress
God moves the traffic along
Recognizing a higher power influencing the flow of life and circumstances
Put me on the milk carton
Feeling unnoticed or forgotten, like a missing person on a milk carton
Watch me blow across the lawn
Observing oneself being carried away by the winds of change, without control
You said my life's a narrow one
Someone pointing out that my life is limited and lacking in breadth or variety
But maybe it's the one I want?
Questioning if the simplicity and predictability of my life align with my desires
We don't choose the place we start
Highlighting the lack of control over our initial circumstances and upbringing
Have fun wherever you are
Encouragement to find joy and enjoy life regardless of the location or situation
I know it's not that far
Having hope and belief that a better place or state of being is within reach
This is where we live
Accepting and acknowledging the reality of our current living situation
Nothing we can do about it
Feeling powerless to change or improve the circumstances of our residence
Writer(s): Juan Pieczanski, Jeffrey Curtin, Ryan Heyner, Joshua Kolenik
Contributed by Sebastian E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jose Del Real Ly
Wake up in regret
In the house where your parents lived
Postcard on the fridge
But I never even looked at it
Seemed like a long way off
From nothing
At least you were somewhere
I wasn't
[Chorus]
This is
This is where we live
This is
Where we live
Nothing we can do about it
Nothing we can do about it
Nothing we can do about it
[Verse 2]
[?]
[?]
[?]
Said my lie's a narrow one
Maybe it's 101
Don't choose, please stop
Fun wherеver you are
I know it's not that far
[Chorus]
This is
This is wherе we live
Where we live
Nothing we can do about it
Nothing we can do about it
Nothing we can do about it
This is wherе we live
Blep
So good, glad to be hearing new stuff from these guys again
Mike Buxton
They're Fucking amazing brother 🙏💯💪🔥💰💰💎
Curtis Hannon
Such a masterpiece!❤️
Michelle
You guys make me feel better every time I feel like i'm losing myself.
elasticwaistbandlady
This is a little slice of music magic. ❤️
riacardi7011
a track where you have the windows down and cruising down a highway
Miguel Ordu
OH GOD! THIS SONG IS A MASTERPIECE ❤ MY FEELINGS ARE RUNNING THROUGH MY VEINS ❤❤❤ thank you guys for creating your music & make me feel of that way❤ I love them!
Hector Nygma
Beautiful song🥰🥰 I'm in love!!!
Greetings from Mexico ❤️🇲🇽
John Fisher
This tune has got me man! Been on repeat for months! Thank you for the smiles & the dances x
Carlos Rai
Simplemente hermoso. Saludos desde Lima, Perú 🇵🇪