Sharp and sensible, new musical duo Soft Swells nails the canny pop sensibi… Read Full Bio ↴Sharp and sensible, new musical duo Soft Swells nails the canny pop sensibility of today’s indie landscape on their forthcoming self-titled ‘Soft Swells’ LP making full use of an arsenal of sounds, including stuttering and snapping drums, handclaps, a ringing xylophone, and subtle electronics. Soft Swells is the collaborative effort of longtime indie songwriter and gifted storyteller Tim Williams and the talents of Brooklyn’s Phonograph mainstay Matt Welsh.

Soft Swells was named for and inspired by Williams' beachy surroundings in California where he relocated after leaving NYC in 2009. Williams, who had released two very well-received albums under his name for Dovecote Records, met Welsh as he was gearing up to work on his third album. Welsh, who gained much acclaim with his own Brooklyn outift Phonograph, asked Williams if he needed a guitarist, and both gents knew it was a sure fit. Recently, Welsh also made the move from the East Coast to West Coast to join his new bandmate. “His band had done quite a bit of touring with Wilco so I knew Matt would be up for the challenge,” says Williams.

Now ready to release their ‘Soft Swells’ debut LP to the world, Williams is excited to showcase new songs that he and Welsh recorded under tight constraints. "I would say ‘control’ is the main theme for this record. Really, what you can and can't - and how that affects your life.” Soft Swells’ self-titled debut was recorded in the tiny town of Lewes, England, by longtime friend and producer Dave Lynch (Ed Harcourt, Clearlake, Liam Finn) at Bat Box Studios. “Matt and I spent a little over a week recording 13 songs as quick as we could before our return flights home. I think we nearly drove Dave mad during this process as we could have really used a solid month for a record this size. Dave had also just had his first baby boy - Monty Moog - and probably only had 5 hours of sleep the entire week. He is a true saint,” says Williams.

The band released a hot 7” late summer 2011 which featured new tracks "Every Little Thing" and “Lifeboats” which gained airplay at KCRW and KROQ and started a Soft Swells buzz on the West Coast. Both songs were remastered for inclusion on the crushingly perfect upcoming ‘Soft Swells’ full length which Austin-based Modern Outsider Records will release at the end of February. Stay tuned for new tour dates and new beginnings from Soft Swells in 2012.

Don't Cut It Off
Soft Swells Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I am full of thoughts these days,
Like sell it all that you don't need inside your life,
What boxes try to hide
The more i lose the more i breathe,
The less i own the more i think and that is fine,
When lives are on the line
It's taken me so long to see with eyes as sharp as razor blades

Don't cut it off

Traffic flows but i don't speed,
Moving slow until you see a moonlit sky,
What mountains try to hide
On the coast is where you breathe,
Not in a cube that doesn't see itself a lie,
What money just can't buy
It's taken me so long to see with eyes as sharp as razor blades
Don't cut it off
It's taken me so long to find a love like ours that can't divide

Don't cut it off

I was looking for the sentimental feeling that had left when you left now it's all come together,
Because i was looking for you.
I was looking for the sentimental feeling that had left when you left now it's all come together,
Because i was looking for you.

It's taken me so long to find a love like ours that can't divide

Don't cut it off on me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Soft Swells' "Don't Cut It Off" talk about the struggles of letting go of unnecessary possessions and embracing the simple joys in life. The opening lines tell us that the singer's mind is buzzing with thoughts, suggesting that he's been wrestling with something important. He talks about selling off everything that's unnecessary in his life, including the clutter that he's been hiding away in boxes. He realizes that the less he owns, the more he thinks, and that's perfectly fine with him. When lives are at stake, it's easy to get a sense of clarity, which he has finally achieved after much struggle. The singer has taken so long to get to this point that he now sees everything with eyes as sharp as razor blades.

The repeated phrase, "Don't cut it off," may refer to the singer's realization that he doesn't need most of the things he's been holding onto. He's reached a point where he's ready to make significant changes, but maybe he's also warning himself not to go too far. The second verse talks about the traffic flow that he's willing to take slowly, enjoying the sights along the way, rather than rushing through it all. The mountains hide what is beautiful, and he's learned that it's when he's near the coast that he can truly breathe. In this metaphor, the cube stands for the trappings of modern life that have trapped him until-now, and that he's finally breaking free from.

The last verse is different from the others, as it directly addresses the listener. The singer tells us that he has found what he's been looking for, the sentimental feeling that he once had. And he's found it because he was looking for us. The song's end reiterates the lines from the chorus about how he's taken so long to find a love like his and how he doesn't want to cut it off.

Line by Line Meaning

I am full of thoughts these days,
My mind is filled with ideas lately,

Like sell it all that you don't need inside your life,
Get rid of anything in your life that you don't really need,

What boxes try to hide
Things that are hidden away in boxes,

The more i lose the more i breathe,
The less I have, the more I feel I can breathe,

The less i own the more i think and that is fine,
I find myself thinking more the less I own and that's okay,

When lives are on the line
When people's lives are at stake

It's taken me so long to see with eyes as sharp as razor blades
It's taken me a long time to see things clearly and precisely

Don't cut it off
Don't disconnect or end it abruptly

Traffic flows but i don't speed,
I go with the flow of traffic and don't rush,

Moving slow until you see a moonlit sky,
Take your time until you can see a sky lit by the moon,

What mountains try to hide
The things that mountains try to hide,

On the coast is where you breathe,
One can breathe more freely by the coast,

Not in a cube that doesn't see itself a lie,
One can't truly see in a box or cubicle,

What money just can't buy
Things that money can't buy

It's taken me so long to find a love like ours that can't divide
It's taken me a long time to find a love like ours that can't be broken apart,

Don't cut it off on me
Don't end our relationship abruptly or harshly

I was looking for the sentimental feeling that had left when you left now it's all come together,
I was searching for that emotional feeling that I lost when you left me, but now everything has fallen into place,

Because i was looking for you.
Because I was searching for you

Writer(s): SEIWERT TIMOTHY WILLIAM

Contributed by Thomas O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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