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.
Last Time
Smogus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
does it takes for me to make up my mind
now it's the time to confess my crimes
but I can't decline all the beauty I find
that's my girl with the look to kill
and I can't reveil all the doubts I feel
'cause she equals troubles
and she equals fights
but I just wanna be with you o aha
Deep down I know I gotta go
but there's something about you I can't say no
Only wanna fuck with you o aha
Just one more time to free ourselves
Don't wanna be my elf I get some one else
This is the last time
Once again she invites me inn
and I don't know why did I begin
there's a whole lotta fish and I'm just looking at one
gotta get it over with I gotta move on
Every time I say no keeps you begging for more
so I don't even know what I'm saying no for
I'm saying this once never again
this is the last time that i'm coming inn
I just wanna be with you o aha
and deep down I know I gotta go
but there's something about you I can't say no
Only wanna fuck with you o aha
Just one more time to free ourselves
Don't wanna be my elf I get some one else
So I'm a main mother fucker
An asshole on first sight
But if that's what you're screaming
Then why we'regetting down tonight
For real
No more lies
guess what
for real
what you're thinking
never again no
no more lies
The song Last Time by Smogus is about the singer's struggle with his feelings for a girl whom he knows is not right for him. The song starts with him realizing that he has fallen for her after many times hesitating and going back and forth on his emotions. He knows that she brings trouble, fights, sex, and incredible nights with her, but he can't resist her beauty. He admits that he knows he has to go deep down, but there's something about her that he can't say no to. The singer wants to be with the girl, but he also knows that he has to leave her. He wants to be with her one last time because he just can't let her go.
The singer acknowledges that the girl has the power to make him fall for her, and every time he tries to say no, she begs for more, and he can't resist. However, he has decided that this encounter with her will be his last one, and he will move on. He expresses that there are many other fish in the sea, and he has to turn his back on her ultimately. He wants to be with her one last time to free themselves from their emotions, but he knows that he has to get someone else to be his elf. The song concludes with the singer, admitting that he is a mean motherfucker and an asshole on the first sight, questioning why they are getting down tonight when all he wants is a real relationship without lies.
Overall, the song Last Time is about the singer's realization that he has to let go of a toxic relationship and move on to a healthy one without any lies. The song portrays the struggle of letting go of someone who has an immense hold on you, and the decision to sever ties with them, however hard it may be.
Line by Line Meaning
How many times, yeah how many signs
I'm wondering how many times and signs it will take for me to make a decision.
does it take for me to make up my mind
It's hard for me to make a decision.
now it's the time to confess my crimes
It's time for me to reveal my mistakes.
but I can't decline all the beauty I find
I can't resist the attractiveness of this person.
that's my girl with the look to kill
This is the girl who has an amazing look and presence.
and I can't reveil all the doubts I feel
I can't show my uncertainty to her.
'cause she equals troubles
This girl comes with a lot of issues.
and she equals fights
This girl brings a lot of disagreements and arguments.
she equals sex and incredible nights
But she also brings a lot of sexual pleasure and amazing experiences.
but I just wanna be with you o aha
I really want to be with you even with all the negativity of our relationship.
Deep down I know I gotta go
Though I want to stay, I know I have to leave.
but there's something about you I can't say no
There's something about you that makes it hard for me to leave you.
Only wanna fuck with you o aha
I only want to have sex with you.
Just one more time to free ourselves
Let's have sex one last time to free ourselves from each other.
Don't wanna be my elf I get some one else
I don't want to be stuck with you, so I'll get someone else.
Once again she invites me inn
Once again she invites me in her life.
and I don't know why did I begin
I don't know why I started this relationship in the first place.
there's a whole lotta fish and I'm just looking at one
There are a lot of options available, but I'm still focused on this one person.
gotta get it over with I gotta move on
I need to end this and move on to the next thing.
Every time I say no keeps you begging for more
Whenever I say no to you, you keep begging for more.
so I don't even know what I'm saying no for
I don't even know why I'm rejecting you when I keep coming back.
I'm saying this once never again
I'm saying this one last time, and it will never happen again.
this is the last time that i'm coming inn
This is the last time I will be with you.
So I'm a main mother fucker
I am confident and assertive.
An asshole on first sight
Many people see me as an unlikable person initially.
But if that's what you're screaming
But if that's what you want from me,
Then why we're getting down tonight
Then why are we having sex tonight?
for real
Seriously.
No more lies
Let's stop lying to each other.
guess what
You know what.
what you're thinking
What you're thinking right now.
never again no
This will never happen again.
no more lies
Let's be truthful with each other.
Contributed by Josiah H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Repent In Reprise
3:27.... Was that a KoRn note?
51 - 73
Korn is gay emo music, smogus is proper nu metal