According to the label, the name "Test Icicles" is derived not from the word testicles but rather from an alleged practice of early man of "testing" icicles for strength and fitness for use as weapons. This, however, is extremely debatable — especially considering the fact that an earlier band featuring members of Test Icicles was named Balls.
The three members were and are additionally extremely musically active outside of Test Icicles, claiming to be variously involved in over twenty side-projects among them. Hynes and Mehran participate in a hair metal–hip hop fusion project, NLS Crew; Attwell is a member of several other bands including Lock Horns and Dogger.
On the 22nd Febuary 2006, it was announced that once the band had finished their April tour of the UK, they were to go their separate ways. Some claim it transpired that the Test Icicles were in fact founded for a joke, dared into seeing how far they could get. Domino were duped into signing them, and they soon realised the joke had gone too far, despite releasing some fantastic singles. Other accounts have suggested that the band never liked their own music, and had grown tired of the band. Along with a lot of other information on the band, there is a mix of fact and fiction.
Additional Info:
Raary Deci-hells has gone on to form RAT:ATT:AGG but they have now gone the same way. He now plays in Kasms.
Devmetal has had success with a solo project, releasing an album, also on Domino under the name Lightspeed Champion. He later went on to gain mainstream attention and success under the name Blood Orange
Sharks
Test Icicles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sharks
Bite
Kill
Sharks
Sharks, pressured to be,
Cool and released
Sharks, surrounding me,
Feeling unclean
And so dirty
Staying out the way
Terror at the bay
Sleep with the fish and still
I can hear you scream
if I was a shark:
Wouldn't be thinking twice
But all I can see around me all the time
And when I feel them bite down on my face
You can hear me scream
See them swimming killing spilling me
It's easier
So I'll look into the sky
And hope I get another try
Terror at the bay
Staying out they way
Sleep with the fish and now
I can't hear you scream
Swimming killing thrilling and I wish
That I could be like them
Underwater I pretend...
Whoa, yeah.
Don't fuck with those sharks
Sharks can kill anything
Sharks will take everything
Take a bite
The lyrics to Test Icicles' song "Sharks" are quite interesting and thought-provoking. The first repetition of the word "sharks" seems to serve as a kind of ominous introduction to the rest of the song, warning the listener that we are about to encounter something dangerous and deadly. The next three lines seem to describe the experience of being a shark, of feeling pressure to be "cool" and to be "released" into the wild. However, this pressure is then contrasted with the terror and disgust that the sharks cause in the singer - they are "surrounding me" and making the singer feel "unclean" and "so dirty."
The second verse then adds a layer of complexity, imagining what it would be like to be a human turned into a shark. The singer wishes they could adopt the straightforward, predator lifestyle of the sharks and simply kill everything around them without question. However, even the sharks, with all their power and lethality, are still subject to pain and fear - we can "hear [them] scream" when they are attacked. The end of the song returns to the idea of terror and terrorizing, describing the "thrilling" experience of swimming and killing. The final line, "take a bite," seems to imply that we as humans are just as much a part of this violent natural order as the sharks are.
Line by Line Meaning
Sharks
The topic of the song, representing a dangerous and predatory animal
Sharks
Repeating the topic for emphasis
Bite
Their action of attacking and causing harm with their sharp teeth
Kill
Their ultimate goal of causing death to their prey
Sharks
Repeating the topic to show the continued focus on the animal
Sharks, pressured to be,
The societal pressure on sharks to be seen as cool or fearsome creatures
Cool and released
The image that sharks try to uphold, even though it may be harmful or dangerous
A horrible thing
The realization that this image and behavior is not beneficial or sustainable
Sharks, surrounding me,
The personal experience of feeling overwhelmed and surrounded by the presence of sharks
Feeling unclean
The negative emotions and sensations brought on by this experience
And so dirty
Further emphasis on the negative feelings associated with the presence of sharks
Staying out the way
The urge to avoid sharks and their dangerous behavior
Terror at the bay
The specific setting of the song, where sharks are a constant threat
Sleep with the fish and still
Even when one is seemingly safe, the threat of sharks is still present
I can hear you scream
The unsettling and terrifying nature of this situation
if I was a shark:
A hypothetical scenario where the singer imagines what it would be like to be a shark
Wouldn't be thinking twice
Sharks act on instinct rather than thought or reflection
But all I can see around me all the time
The narrow perspective and focus of a shark
And when I feel them bite down on my face
The painful and violent nature of a shark attack
You can hear me scream
The physical and emotional agony caused by a shark attack
See them swimming killing spilling me
The singer's fear of being attacked and killed by sharks
It's easier
The simplicity and ease of life as a shark, without complex human emotions
So I'll look into the sky
The desire to escape the dangerous and oppressive environment of the sea
And hope I get another try
The longing for a chance to start over or escape danger
Terror at the bay
Repeating the earlier reference to the setting of the song
Staying out they way
Repeating the desire to avoid sharks and their danger
Sleep with the fish and now
An acknowledgment that even sleeping with fish may not be safe from sharks
I can't hear you scream
The complete and utter silence that comes with a deadly shark attack
Swimming killing thrilling and I wish
The singer's ambivalent feelings towards sharks, as they are both thrilling and deadly
That I could be like them
The desire to be as powerful and feared as sharks
Underwater I pretend...
An escape into a fantasy world of being a shark or living amongst them
Whoa, yeah.
Non-lyrical filler, likely for emphasis or transition
Don't fuck with those sharks
A warning to stay away from dangerous and predatory animals
Sharks can kill anything
Reiterating the danger and deadliness of sharks
Sharks will take everything
The idea that sharks are ruthless and indiscriminate in their attacks
Take a bite
A final warning of the danger and deadliness of sharks
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind