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.”
Golden
Soft Fangs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
left without a soul or a face.
Everything's gone to waste.
I awake full of hate,
trying to wipe my past away.
But it sits and waits.
I was golden.
Ripe as a tree in the orchard,
ready for anything.
Sitting in my room,
like I always do.
Staring at the light,
until my eyes are open wide.
The lyrics to Soft Fangs's song "Golden" are about feeling trapped and lost in one's own life. The opening lines, "Stolen out of time and space, left without a soul or a face. Everything's gone to waste," describe a sense of disconnection from the world and a feeling of worthlessness. The singer is struggling with their identity and purpose in life, which leads them to harbor feelings of hatred towards themselves and the past they are trying to leave behind.
The chorus, "For a moment, I almost thought I was golden. Ripe as a tree in the orchard, ready for anything," reveals the singer's desire to feel a sense of value and worth. They are yearning to discover their purpose and to feel like they are capable of achieving great things. However, this moment of hope is fleeting and they ultimately find themselves "sitting in [their] room, like [they] always do, staring at the light, until [their] eyes are open wide."
The song does an excellent job of portraying the struggles of depression and the feeling of hopelessness that comes with it. The lyrics are raw and authentic, making it a relatable and powerful song for many listeners. The melancholic melody and the haunting vocals of Soft Fangs only emphasize the depth of the emotions being portrayed.
Line by Line Meaning
Stolen out of time and space,
Taken away from my reality and existence, with no solid identity or sense of self.
left without a soul or a face.
I am devoid of emotion and personality, unable to recognize or distinguish myself.
Everything's gone to waste.
My life has amounted to nothing, rendering all my efforts pointless and futile.
I awake full of hate,
Every time I come to consciousness, I am overwhelmed with bitterness and anger.
trying to wipe my past away.
I attempt to erase the events that shaped me and the memories associated with them.
But it sits and waits.
However, the past still lingers and haunts me, refusing to be forgotten.
For a moment, I almost thought
There was a fleeting instant where I believed
I was golden.
I was special and valuable, capable of achieving great things.
Ripe as a tree in the orchard,
Fully matured and prepared for any opportunity or challenge.
ready for anything.
Prepared to face any obstacle and conquer any goal.
Sitting in my room,
I spend most of my days confined to my personal space and solitude.
like I always do.
Engaging in the same routine and mundane activities without any excitement or change.
Staring at the light,
I stare aimlessly at the source of illumination in my room.
until my eyes are open wide.
Until I am unable to withstand the glaring brightness and must look away.
Contributed by Lillian G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.