Anja Plaschg grew up in a small village called Gnas in south east Styria, where her parents have a farm. She has played piano since she was six. At the age of 14 she began violin studies and developed an interest in electronic music. She attended the Graz Polytechnic for Graphic Design, but dropped out at 16 and moved to Vienna shortly afterwards. There she studied art at the Academy of Fine Arts in the master class of Daniel Richter, but at 18 dropped out again.
Musicians like Xiu Xiu, Cat Power, Björk, Nico, Aphex Twin and composers like Sergei Rachmaninoff or Arvo Pärt have had a great impact on her music.
After only playing a handful of concerts she was already being dubbed a "Wunderkind". In 2008 she played German singer Nico in the play "Nico - Sphinx aus Eis" by Werner Fritsch in Berlin and Vienna, performing several songs in it, including "Janitor Of Lunacy", from her first EP.
Her first album, called "Lovetune for Vacuum", was released in March 2009. It received excellent reviews and placed in the Austrian Top 10. The album also achieved chart positions in Germany, Belgium and France. Music journalists have already claimed to see in her a new star of Austrian pop.
In 2010 her song "Mr Gaunt Pt 1000" was used in the television commercial for Ford's Mondeo. In the 2010 French film "Mes chères études" (also known as "Student Services"), the song titled "The Sun" plays during the credits. Her tracks 'Brother of Sleep' and 'Marche Funèbre' were used in the soundtrack for Universal Pictures thriller 'War Games: At the End of the Day' in 2010.
The death of her father in 2009 was a key element on her mini-album Narrow, which was released in February 2012.
Extinguish Me
Soap&Skin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For your footsteps trail
I have to kiss them
With my scalding tears
Until I see the ground
Bury me under ice
Smother me under the eyes
Please, extinguish me
These lyrics from Soap&Skin's song "Extinguish Me" depict a heartbreaking and melancholic scene where the singer is desperately searching for someone who has left them. The use of the word "in vain" suggests that the search is futile and that the trail of footsteps may have been erased or lost. The singer is so desperate to feel close to the person they are searching for that they resort to kissing the ground where the footsteps were, using their own tears as a symbol of their pain and longing. The desolate imagery of snow and ice highlights the emotional coldness that the singer is experiencing after being left alone. Despite the hopelessness of the situation, the singer begs to be extinguished, suggesting that they would rather be completely gone than continue to feel the pain of loss.
Overall, the song "Extinguish Me" is a poignant exploration of grief and the desperation that one feels when faced with the loss of someone they love. The intense emotions expressed in the lyrics are underscored by the sparse and haunting music, which adds to the sense of solitude and sadness.
Line by Line Meaning
I search in snow, in vain
I am desperately searching for any clue or sign of you in the cold and unforgiving snow, but my efforts seem to be futile.
For your footsteps trail
I am looking for any trace of your presence, hoping that your footsteps will lead me to you or provide some comfort.
I have to kiss them
When I finally find your footsteps, I feel the need to kiss them as if they were a manifestation of you, bringing me closer to your essence.
With my scalding tears
Tears of longing and pain stream down my face as I try to make sense of your absence and the overwhelming emotions that come with it.
Until I see the ground
I am not able to lift my gaze from the existence of your footsteps, searching for answers and a connection in the place where you once were.
Bury me under ice
I long to be enveloped by the cold and darkness, hoping that it will numb me from the pain of missing you and provide a sense of relief.
Smother me under the eyes
I wish to feel the weight of your gaze upon me, even if it is imaginary, as it brings me closer to you and provides a sense of comfort and protection.
And snow
The snow represents the cold and unforgiving nature of the world, which I feel unable to navigate without you by my side.
Please, extinguish me
I am asking to be released from the pain and longing that comes with your absence, to be extinguished from the burden of loving someone who is no longer there.
Contributed by Alice N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ben - Moderator
on Safe With Me
Lyrics updated
Aaron
on Safe With Me
Where in the world did these random lyrics come from?