Members Jesse Dryfhout and Christopher John (then Chris Moerman) were high-school classmates who played in a band called Molly with friends Mckenzie Dougall and Shaun Bennett. Molly released their demo-tape "Ghosts of Yesterday" in 1997 and sold all 500 copies. Dryfhout was originally the drummer until he came to the band with the first song that he had ever written: "Everybody". Soon after, he and John started to share song-writing and singing duties.
Molly played their last show at a barn in Maple Ridge only to walk back onto the stage as Stabilo Boss, sporting a new line-up with both Christopher and Jesse leading the band. The band's acoustic-rock sound featured Nathan Wylie, an accomplished drummer and friend of Dryfhout and John, and Karl Williaume on bass.
In 1999, the band recorded Kitchen Sessions, so named as it was an independent recording made in a kitchen. The EP was a completely home-made affair, the band and their university friends burning and distributing the discs themselves. Around this time, Stabilo Boss began to grow a solid local fan base based on the core support of their peers in school.
In the summer of 2000, the band recorded their self-titled debut, releasing it independently in early 2001. The album quickly sold out of its first pressing as Stabilo Boss began to become regulars in the local Vancouver music scene. The band's big break came roughly a year later when a DJ at the Vancouver's XFM decided to play "Everybody" on their music competition show, Chaos.
The band's solid songwriting and loyal fan base lead to the song beating out other offerings from more well established artists and dominating the station's Top 7@7 charts for nearly a month. With this exposure, the band sold 5000 copies of their album independently and began to be courted by major labels.
In the midst of all of the excitement over "Everybody", the band quietly released The Beautiful Madness EP which they sold only at their shows. The four song disc was recorded live off of the soundboard and prominently featured a grand piano on all tracks. It quickly sold out.
Rather than accept the first offers coming in from major labels, the band began to record their next album at Mushroom studios. According to John, the studio's owner John Wozniak (Marcy Playground) liked the band so much that he "basically just gave us free time there". By 2003, the band had completed their next album, produced by Wozniak and local musician/producer Jon Anderson (Radiogram/Jonathan Inc.).
At this point, the album was not released as Stabilo Boss was courting the record companies. After a search, they signed a deal with EMI Canada. With this transition to the big time, the band shortened their name to Stabilo. In an interview, Jesse stated that the band's name came from the Stabilo Boss brand highlighter they used to write down possible band names.
After touring Canada and then waiting a year, the new material recorded in 2002 was included in the album Cupid?, released on May 11, 2004. The radio-friendly release was somewhat of a let down to longtime fans who had been waiting for the release of a new albums worth of material for two years. Most of the new material recorded was shelved in favor of a seven song disc featuring only three previously unreleased tracks.
For the uninitiated, the album was well received across Canada with "Everybody" repeating much of its original success in many new locations. The re-release of "Everybody" was followed by the single "One More Pill", which was also culled from the self-titled disc.
Stabilo have just released their second album with EMI Canada on April 4, 2006 called "Happiness and Disaster", Their newest single "Flawed Design" is currently being played on radio stations across Canada. The video is also being aired on MuchMusic and MuchMoreMusic
In May of 2006, Stabilo was announced to the opening act for the Canadian arm of INXS's tour.
In July, 2006, Stabilo released their second single and video, "Kidding Ourselves".
In late 2006, the band released a third single from their CD "Happiness and Disaster", "Don't Look In Their Eyes".
Enemy
Stabilo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I run back up to my room,
Where I find your ruins,
And love, will you make a fool of me,
You got me doing things,
I never would believe.
Overcome by the enemy,
Where I find your ruins,
And love, will you make a fool of me,
You got me doing things,
I never would believe.
So open eyes behind enemy lines,
Lie on my back and cross my fingers.
This room is my gravity,
Keeps me on the ground,
When I have no weight.
And trust,
Have you been misleading us,
'cause I believed when you said,
The enemy she is a friend.
Lets make a toast,
To our useless work,
And our hopeless cause,
To assess the damage of the loss.
Lets make a toast,
To our useless work,
And our hopeless cause,
To assess the damage of the loss
The lyrics to Stabilo's song "Enemy" tell a story of someone who is struggling with inner demons and being overcome by the things that are holding them back. The person seeks refuge in their own room, where they find evidence of past relationships or experiences that have left them feeling like a fool. The lyrics convey a sense of vulnerability, as the singer is pleading with love not to continue making a fool of them.
The second verse speaks to the idea of being behind enemy lines and having to be cautious and vigilant. The singer is lying on their back, with their eyes open, hoping for the best but not knowing what lies ahead. The room they are in is a place of respite, where they can rest and find a sense of gravity that keeps them grounded. However, the trust that was once there may be lost, as they question whether they have been misled.
The chorus expresses a sense of futility, as the singer makes a toast to "useless work" and a "hopeless cause". The idea of assessing the damage of the loss suggests that the singer has experienced some sort of defeat or setback, but is still seeking closure.
Line by Line Meaning
Overcome by the enemy,
Feeling defeated and powerless due to the adversary,
I run back up to my room,
Retreat to a safe space to regroup,
Where I find your ruins,
Encountering the aftermath of a broken relationship,
And love, will you make a fool of me,
Questioning whether love is worth the risk of being hurt,
You got me doing things,
Allowing oneself to put up with unacceptable behavior or situations because of love,
I never would believe.
Doing things outside of one's character because of love,
So open eyes behind enemy lines,
Being cautious and vigilant in difficult situations,
Lie on my back and cross my fingers.
Hoping for the best and trying to stay optimistic,
This room is my gravity,
Finding comfort and stability in a familiar place,
Keeps me on the ground,
Prevents oneself from feeling lost or directionless,
When I have no weight.
Feeling aimless or unimportant,
And trust,
Questioning the reliability of someone or something,
Have you been misleading us,
Wondering if someone has been dishonest or deceitful,
'cause I believed when you said,
Putting faith in someone's words or promises,
The enemy she is a friend.
Being misled and realizing that the enemy is not actually an ally,
Lets make a toast,
Ironically commemorating a situation that did not turn out well,
To our useless work,
Acknowledging one's failed efforts and mistakes,
And our hopeless cause,
Realizing that the situation is beyond repair,
To assess the damage of the loss.
Trying to understand the consequences and aftermath of a difficult situation.
Contributed by Gavin T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Coctile Crocodile
Lyrics:
Overcome by the enemy, I run
Back up to my room
Where I find your ruins
And love, will you make a fool of me?
You got me doing things
I never would believe
Overcome by the enemy, I run
Back up to my room
Where I find your ruins
And love, will you make a fool of me?
You got me doing things
I never would believe
So open eyes behind enemy lines
Lie on my back
And cross my fingers
This wound is my gravity
It keeps me on the ground
When I have no weight
And trust
Have you been misleading us?
‘Cause I believed when you said
“The enemy, she is a friend”
Let’s make a toast to our useless work
And our hopeless cause
To assess the damage of the light
Let’s make a toast to our useless work
And our hopeless cause
To assess the damage of the light
(Sources I double checked have said the lyrics state “to assess the damage of the loss” but honestly, it doesn’t sound like that at all to me. Feel free to use whichever one you like though! :D)