The original lineup consisted of vocalist Jason Cruz, guitarists Jake Kiley and Rob Ramos, bassist Jim Cherry and drummer Adam Austin. After releasing a self-titled 7" record, they became one of the first bands to be signed to Fat Wreck Chords, the record label owned and operated by Fat Mike of the band NOFX. Austin left the band in 1992 and was replaced by Brad Morrison who also left the band and was replaced on drums by Jordan Burns, formerly of fellow Simi Valley natives Ten Foot Pole. Their first album, Another Day in Paradise, was released in May of 1994. Suburban Teenage Wasteland Blues followed in 1996. In 1998 they released The Skinny Years...Before We Got Fat, a compilation album of their pre-Fat Wreck Chords material.
The band showed notable musical growth on their 1998 album Twisted by Design, which was both speedy and technical but also punk-based and with darker overtones. The album established a mixture of the fast, poppy sound the band had established with Suburban Teenage Wasteland Blues but mixed it with more atonality and more abstract song structures. Bassist Jim Cherry left the band in 1999 and went on to play in Pulley and Zero Down, but died of heart failure in 2002. He was replaced by Chris Aiken, whose musical background had a strong impact on the 2000 album The Element of Sonic Defiance, which continued in the fast, melodic punk tradition of the band while introducing more hard rock and metal elements.
In 2002 the band released their fourth full-length album An American Paradox, their first release to appear in the Billboard Top 200. The initial production run contained a bonus song entitled "Don't Look Back". A video was filmed for the song "Cemetery" and was included on several punk rock video compilations. In 2003 they recorded and released a live album as part of the Fat Wreck Chords Live in a Dive series. Exile in Oblivion, was released in 2004, with a video filmed for the song "Analog." Strung Out released their sixth full-length album, Blackhawks Over Los Angeles on June 12, 2007.
In March 2009, Strung Out released a compilation of B-sides, demos, and covers called "Prototypes and Painkillers" with material from all eras of the band's history. Many of these tracks have been on various punk compilations and/or were included in their "Live in a Dive" recording.
On September 29, 2009, Strung Out Released a their 7th studio album titled Agents of the Underground.
Katatonia
Strung Out Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I check this body in tonight cross my heart and hope to die
To never leave this place alive
I'm burning right in front of you
Break myself against you I lay still
Your penetrating glances dead stop all my
Vain advances to another place where I can truly be myself
Life support keeps me alive
To forgive I will never do
One last kiss is all I need from you
Ride salvation goin' under
They say they say I won't survive you now
I wish I never knew you
Your name is katatonia
The lyrics to Strung Out's song Katatonia portray a sense of desperation and hopelessness felt by the singer. They open with a line about being impoverished and bleeding, possibly alluding to the physical and emotional toll of their situation. The phrase "hope here somethin' fast receding dead light holocaust" creates a sense of impending doom, like the end of the world is nigh. The singer seems resigned to death, making a solemn promise to never leave the place they are in alive.
The second verse introduces an unknown person, referred to as "you." The singer seems to have strong feelings for this person, declaring that they can truly be themselves in their presence. However, it seems that these feelings are not reciprocated, as the person's "penetrating glances" dead stop the singer's "vain advances." The use of medical imagery such as "respirators kicked on high" and "life support keeps me alive" suggests that the singer may be in a hospital or on the brink of death.
The chorus repeats the phrase "your name is katatonia," which is a medical term used to describe a state of prolonged sadness or depression. It seems that the singer sees this person as the source of their suffering, saying "I wish I never knew you." The overall tone of the song is one of despair and resignation, with the singer seeming to accept their fate.
Line by Line Meaning
Impoverished and bleedin' hope here somethin' fast receding dead light holocaust
I feel hopeless and defeated as my dreams and aspirations vanish before my eyes...
I check this body in tonight cross my heart and hope to die
...so I surrender myself to my depression and grief.
To never leave this place alive
I'm so consumed by sorrow and despair that I can't imagine ever coming out of it.
I'm burning right in front of you
My mental anguish is visible and overwhelming to those around me.
Break myself against you I lay still
I'm hoping that by surrendering myself to you and your will, I can ease my pain.
Your penetrating glances dead stop all my
Your piercing gaze brings my thoughts to a halt...
Vain advances to another place where I can truly be myself
...and makes me realize that I can't possibly escape from my own thoughts and feelings.
Respirators kicked on high
I need external help and support to keep me going and alive.
Life support keeps me alive
At this point, my very survival depends on the help of others.
To forgive I will never do
I'm so consumed with pain and heartache that I can't imagine ever forgiving those who hurt me.
One last kiss is all I need from you
All I'm yearning for is one last token of affection and hope from someone close to me.
Ride salvation goin' under
Despite my best efforts to stay afloat, I feel myself slowly sinking into despair and hopelessness.
They say they say I won't survive you now
It's become very clear to everyone around me that I'm struggling to stay alive.
I wish I never knew you
At this point, I feel like the pain of knowing you is far greater than any happiness or joy you brought into my life.
Your name is katatonia
Your very existence has become synonymous with my depression and heartache.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: CHRISTOPHER TRAVIS JR AIKEN, JACOB IRA KILEY, JASON ALEXANDER CRUZ, JORDAN LIEBERMAN, ROBERT J RAMOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind