The trip-hop act Sofa Surfers was founded in 1997 by a quartet of sound-obs… Read Full Bio ↴The trip-hop act Sofa Surfers was founded in 1997 by a quartet of sound-obsessed Viennese instrumentalists: Wolfgang Schlögl, Markus Kienzl, Wolfgang Frisch, and Michael Holzgruber. The group's debut single, "Sofa Rockers," earned a remix from fellow Austrian head Richard Dorfmeister, and their debut album, "Transit", earned wide release through MCA.
"Cargo" and "Constructions: Remixed and Dubbed" followed three years later.

It's fitting that Sofa Surfers, a band not at all afraid to switch up their sound, have entitled their latest album, "Sofa Surfers". It's sound is simple, honest and stripped down to the essence of the band; brooding and melancholy moodiness mixed with an angstful tension that at times comes dangerously close to boiling over.

Sofa Surfers familiar hip-hop/dub style has given way to a minimalized indie rock/R&B/Soul sound using sparsely arranged bass, drum and guitar with an R&B/soul vocal style compliments of Mani Obeya, but it retains the Sofa Surfers well-known personality. Describing this album as sounding "like a hardcore band after the noise has abated" is fair, but don't put too much weight into the "hardcore band" part of that statement because they sound much closer to Massive Attack than any hardcore band I know.

There is an evolution that occurs throughout the album, starting on the melancholy side, moving into angst and then back to melancholy. "White Noise" is a great lead track and soon to be released as the first single off this album.

"Sofa Surfers", an album referred to by the band as "the red album" is an intimate trip into a musical world Wolfgang Schlögl, Markus Kienzl, Michael Holzgruber and Wolfgang Frisch are proud to share, and rightly so; it's nicely written, richly emotional, and hard to define.

Premiere of their latest album "Blindside" is scheduled to 29. January 2010.

Added:
The group then left Klein for Monoscope Productions, which released Blindside in 2010 as well as 2012's Superluminal and 2015's Scrambles, Anthems and Odysseys. Also in 2015, Sofa Surfers provided the music for the crime comedy Das Ewige Leben (Life Eternal). In 2017, Monoscope issued 20, a mix of original songs and reworked favorites in celebration of Sofa Surfers' 20 years together.

SAY SOMETHING
Sofa Surfers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Original boy
Feet of clay, head in the dirt
Looking around for the way
But the signs have all changed

And its hurting inside

Your mind's not your own

But its you in the fire
And its you you on the line
And the wall just gets higher

And its hurting inside
Cause you're on the wrong side

You keep hurting yourself
Cause the bruises don't show
It's the world that you hate
And you don't even know it...

And its hurting inside
Cause you're on the wrong side

Say something, do something
Or you'll lose it all
You'd better change something
Just wanting means nothing
You don't get it
And you don't risk nothing
Say something, do something
Or you'll lose it
Oh, you'd better change something
Just wanting means nothing
You don't risk nothing

Say something, do something...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Sofa Surfers' song "Say Something" are an introspective reflection of the state of mind of the singer, who seems to be lost and directionless. The first stanza sets the scene of the narrative of the song, describing the struggles that the singer is facing in trying to find his way. The second stanza, the singer's mind is consumed by uncertainties of the future and the feeling of being trapped in a situation that he cannot control. The chorus implores the singer to take action and do something to change his situation, highlighting the urgency of the situation, and the importance of taking a risk rather than waiting for life to happen. Sofa Surfers' use of metaphors and personification in the lyrics of "Say Something" highlights the internal battle of the singer.

Line by Line Meaning

Original boy
Referring to a person who is trying to find his way in life.

Feet of clay, head in the dirt
Feeling uncertain and lost.

Looking around for the way
Searching for direction.

But the signs have all changed
Things are different from what they used to be.

And its hurting inside
Feeling pain and discomfort emotionally.

Your mind's not your own
Feeling like someone else has control over your thoughts.

But its you in the fire
You're the one in trouble.

And its you you on the line
It's your responsibility and your risk.

And the wall just gets higher
The situation is getting more difficult to overcome.

Cause you're on the wrong side
You're not doing what you should be doing.

You keep hurting yourself
You're not making things better for yourself.