The 11-track The Light is built on heavy-hearted, reverberating guitars that are as nostalgic for their mournful tone as they are for their reminiscence of Sparklehorse. While this crunchy melancholy permeates most of the album, Lutkevich also manages to fold in other indie rock influences that prevent the record from dragging you so deep into the self-reflective sadness that there feels like no hope. There’s the Mac DeMarco slacker vibes of “The Wilderness”, the surprisingly tropical electronics of “Back of a Horse”, and the bright stroll that is “Get a Job”.
Still, the record seeks to muse “about death, life, nature and all the little things people forget,” and so the lyrics delivered in Lutkevich’s hushed tone are there to remind you it’s okay to be not okay every now and then. “I’m old enough to die,” he sings on “Birthday”. “I’m young enough to be alive.” It’s a painful warning and a heartening reminder, which could well describe much of The Light.
“The Light is a very special record to me,” Lutkevich tells Consequence of Sound. “It is the culmination of about a year of home recordings, some written before my first EP came out. I was struggling with a lot of different things at the time, so I basically just recorded my way out of it. It was a rough year, but I emerged from it brighter than I’ve ever been before.”
Dragon Soap
Soft Fangs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
all those thoughts of the dead.
You could end it all or try to move forward.
Just between me and you,
all the roads lead nowhere new.
Just an endless cul-de-sac of sorrow.
in a world that doesn't notice I exist.
Somewhere before we ever met.
Speak slowly, every action is recorded.
Cameras in the TV, microphones in doorknobs.
What a shame, that you have to live afraid.
Comatose, when you should feel infinite.
But you are finding out, what it's all about.
To live, to lose, to die.
In the same skin you were born in
The lyrics to Soft Fangs's song Dragon Soap convey a sense of melancholy and even nihilism as they address topics such as death, existence, and the meaning of life. The first lines suggest a character who is overwhelmed by thoughts of the dead, perhaps even having suicidal ideations. However, the following line offers an alternative option, to try to move forward. The second stanza expands on the theme of existential stagnation, as the singer intones that all roads lead nowhere new, resulting in an endless cycle of sorrow.
The third stanza shifts to a more personal tone, with the singer expressing a desire to live in a world where they go unnoticed, as if existing before they ever met. The next line adds a disturbing note of surveillance, with the declaration that every action is recorded by cameras and microphones. The final lines capture a sense of frustration and resignation, with the singer somewhat comatose, unable to feel the wonder and joy of life, and yet still having to confront its inherent paradoxes - to live, to lose, to die.
Line by Line Meaning
You blew it straight through your head,
You let your negative thoughts consume you completely.
all those thoughts of the dead.
Thoughts of death and despair have been consuming your mind.
You could end it all or try to move forward.
You are at a crossroad where you can choose to give up or try to move past the darkness.
Just between me and you,
This is a secret between us.
all the roads lead nowhere new.
Every path you take just leads to the same cycle of pain.
Just an endless cul-de-sac of sorrow.
It's a never-ending cycle of sadness and despair.
But I'd like to live,
But I want to exist.
in a world that doesn't notice I exist.
I want to live in a place where I can blend in and not stand out.
Somewhere before we ever met.
I wish I could go back to a time before we crossed paths.
Speak slowly, every action is recorded.
Be careful with your words and actions because they can be used against you.
Cameras in the TV, microphones in doorknobs.
There's a constant surveillance that we're unaware of, making privacy nearly impossible.
What a shame, that you have to live afraid.
It's unfortunate that we have to live in fear, always looking over our shoulders.
Comatose, when you should feel infinite.
You're living in a state of numbness when you should feel endless potential.
But you are finding out, what it's all about.
You're slowly discovering the meaning of life and its complexities.
To live, to lose, to die.
Life, death, and everything in between.
In the same skin you were born in
At the end of the day, you're always going to be the same person you were when you were born.
Contributed by Sydney G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.