Members:
Jaap van Duijvenbode (Guitar), Ruben Bandstra (Drums), Daniel de Jongh (Vocals), Wiebe van den Ende (Raps/Vocals), Jeroen Bax (Bass), Arno Dreef (Guitar).
Winner of a much-coveted Essent Award and triumphant shows at internationally renowned festivals such as Ozzfest and Lowlands – these are just some of the achievements of Dutch Xplocore band Smogus. In May they will release No Matter What The Outcome, which could very well be the band’s big break.
Smogus was founded in 1995 by Jaap, Ruben, Daniel and Jeroen. During the recording of their debut album Everybody’s Fucked Up Twice the four school friends met with Arno and Wiebe. The six of them hit it off immediately and quickly after the release of the debut album, both Arno and Wiebe decided to complete the band’s line-up. They released two tracks on a split EP (also featuring the band Griffin from Leiden, NL) on vinyl on the WOTNXT label, the SmoguS/Griffin EP. Then, Smogus started to conquer all the major Dutch venues, soon establishing themselves as one of the most popular Dutch live-acts.
Besides performing relentlessly – as headliner, as support act (Ill Nino, Disturbed) and at festivals (Ozzfest, Lowlands) – Smogus continuously worked very hard on writing new songs. In 2002, the band signed a deal with BMG and released a 6-track Smogus EP. The band seemed to have finally found their niche with a sound of their own: Xplocore. A fusion of explosive (nu)metal, hiphop and funk, combined with a large dose of energy and humour. Songs with heavy guitars, groovy rhythms, cool rhymes and catchy choruses that have their roots in bands like Anthrax, Faith No More and Cypress Hill.
Unfortunately, the cooperation with BMG came to an end when the band found themselves competing with Idols, the nation-wide craze that conquered The Netherlands in 2003. Smogus refused to sit at the sidelines and see how other, more commercial artists from the Idols TV-show got priority over them, so they decided to start working on their new album without the help of a record label. In March 2003 the band entered the studio and guitarist Arnd-H was appointed as producer. He is mainly responsible for the heavy sound on the new album, significantly titled No Matter What The Outcome. The band has clearly matured in two years time, both musically and personally. Singer Wiebe emphasizes that the band regards this album as their real debut: “We are very proud of the album’s incredible sound, especially since we have done everything ourselves, from the recording to the final mixing. It is an album to be proud of, particularly for a Dutch production.”
The songs on the album are well-structured and characterized by powerful dynamics, an impressive, well-balanced mix of melodic vocals and heavy rap, and a wide range of styles. Smogus is both in-your-face and melodic, aggressive and happy, heavy and commercial, but always extremely energetic. The opening track Don’t Care immediately sets the tone for what’s to come. Other highlights include the groovy and lyrically uplifting Just For Me, the sensitive semi-ballad The Game, the uncompromising and personal Changing Fate and the complex Good Intentions. The highly contagious hiphop bonus track Flush Your Life again has that typical Smogus humour. However, it is not all laughing matters on the album. The lyrics cover a wide range of emotions, as Wiebe explains: “The lyrics are very much about ourselves, about things we go through in life. We sing about love, but also about the need to be free and strained relationships.”
On May 15, 2004 the album was released in the Melkweg, Amsterdam. It has been distributed by a small Dutch oriented label, The Electric Co. which has ties with Universal Records. Although the single and video of Don't Care were fairly popular on vote-based music channel The Box, it turned out that, mainly because the Nu-Metal hype blew over, the album wasn't the big break they had hoped for. This led to Mojo cancelling the contract with the band for the live acts.
Smogus then decided to take a completely different direction with an acoustic tour. A DVD named Live & Unplugged was released in 2005 covering the tour. It turned out to be the last recorded achievement. In 2006 the band decided to split up and on July 7, 2006 they played their last gig on their home stage of Fascinus in Sassenheim.
Good Intentions
Smogus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Trying to get up, pick it up, but it's all invain
Every muscle is resisting the thought
I can't move
What am I gonna do baby I'm all alone
The biggest love of my life became someone I've known
I know it's my decision and I'll make it again
But that doesn't ease the pain that my heart is in
I broke every promise I made and I fucking lied
I choked you can say what you want but you can't say that we haven't tried
It was forced, 'cause of all these fights we couldn't love no more
In the end, we both didn't know what, what we were fighting for
I feel so cold inside
Thoughts and actions they collide
I just know that there is no tomorrow
For us both so I just wrap it up and go
I hoped that I could drop it shit's gone to far
I reached the point of no return, let it burn, untill it scarred
Too much rejection, so many imperfections
A lot of good intentions but no actions
The lyrics to Smogus's song "Good Intentions" paint a picture of a person who is struggling to move on from a failed relationship. The singer spends hours listening to the rain while feeling weighed down by the pain of the breakup. They acknowledge that the end of the relationship was their decision, but that doesn't make it any easier to cope with the resulting heartache. The singer reflects on the promises they made and the lies they told, admitting fault in the dissolution of the relationship. Despite their efforts, the fighting became insurmountable and they couldn't salvage their love for each other.
The singer feels stuck in their current situation, unable to move forward and feeling the weight of guilt and regret. They recognize the good intentions they had in the relationship, but ultimately those good intentions didn't translate into positive actions. The lyrics convey a sense of resignation as the singer processes their emotions: "I just know that there is no tomorrow/For us both so I just wrap it up and go."
Overall, "Good Intentions" is a poignant and relatable reflection on the aftermath of a broken relationship. The lyrics capture the ways that heartbreak can leave a person feeling stuck and unsure of how to move forward.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm sitting here for hours just listening to the rain
I have been sitting here for hours doing nothing but listening to the sound of rain pour outside.
Trying to get up, pick it up, but it's all invain
Even though I am trying my hardest to strive forward and pick myself up from my current state, it is all futile.
Every muscle is resisting the thought
My entire being is resisting the idea of doing something or moving forward from where I currently am.
I can't move
I am rendered immobile and unable to move from my current position.
What am I gonna do baby I'm all alone
I am at a loss as to what I should do, and I am currently all by myself with nobody to turn to for help or advice.
The biggest love of my life became someone I've known
The person who I had once loved and cherished the most in my life has now become just another acquaintance who I know superficially.
I know it's my decision and I'll make it again
Although I am aware that the decision I made previously was ultimately mine, I would make the same choice again if I had to go back.
But that doesn't ease the pain that my heart is in
Even though I stand by my decision, it does not ease the immense pain and sorrow that my heart is feeling right now.
I broke every promise I made and I fucking lied
I went back on every promise that I had made and even lied, which makes me feel terrible.
I choked you can say what you want but you can't say that we haven't tried
I feel as if I had choked and messed this all up, but at least we tried our hardest in the end.
It was forced, 'cause of all these fights we couldn't love no more
Our love was forced and ultimately died out due to the constant fighting and bickering that we could not overcome.
In the end, we both didn't know what, what we were fighting for
Towards the end of the relationship, we were unsure what we were fighting for anymore and what was even worth holding onto.
I feel so cold inside
I currently feel so emotionally distant and cold on the inside.
Thoughts and actions they collide
My thoughts and actions are now contradicting and colliding against each other.
I just know that there is no tomorrow
I am fully aware that there is no future or tomorrow for the relationship that has now ended.
For us both so I just wrap it up and go
For the benefit of both of us, I have decided to put an end to this and move on with my life.
I hoped that I could drop it shit's gone to far
I had hoped that I could have let go of this relationship and its problems, but unfortunately, it has gone too far beyond repair.
I reached the point of no return, let it burn, untill it scarred
I have reached the point where there is no turning back, and I have allowed things to burn and hurt so much that it has left scars that may never heal.
Too much rejection, so many imperfections
There was an overload of rejection and countless imperfections that ultimately led to the demise of our relationship.
A lot of good intentions but no actions
There were many good intentions that we both had, but unfortunately, there were no concrete actions taken to back them up and make them a reality.
Contributed by Penelope D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.