The Amsterdams do a little of everything - like lazy melodies ("Where To Go… Read Full Bio ↴The Amsterdams do a little of everything - like lazy melodies ("Where To Go") to indie pop ("Fireworks") to sounding like your favourite indie rockers. The band's lyrics cover the whole range from disaster to nostalgia. "Taking Care Of Anna", for example, is a story-in-a-song about the bombing of a cafe; something you'd never guess from its bouncy riffs.

If indie rock ever makes it in Romania, it’ll be because of The Amsterdams and their relentless pursuit. And because bands like The Dandy Warhols dig them and regard them as the best band in the land. As they make it pretty clear on the MySpace page, they’re here to do more than just rock out; they’re here to “take the cars out of every garage band”. Whatever that means, it sounds good enough to get behind.

Their second studio album, "Electromagnetica", was released on 31 March 2011 and on 1 April as a digital download. The album was partly recorded in Next Dog Studio, and was mastered by Harris Newman, who is also known for his work with Wolf Parade and Arcade Fire. Electromagnetica is produced and mixed by Electric Brother and features Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade, Handsome Furs), who plays guitar on "This Burial Ground's For Two".

“Sneakers and striped T-Shirts: there¹s some hard strumming going on in the garages of Bucharest. These kids from Romania are highly strung. Thick guitar riffs, each song bringing a darker atmosphere. The Amsterdams are worthy symbols of a spirited, tortured rock scene.”
EuropaVox 2008

DISCOGRAPHY
"Automatic" (EP; 2008)
"Adolessons" (2009)
"Electromagnetica" (2011)
"Winds Apart" (2014)
"Eternity for Dummies" (2016)

laika
The Amsterdams Lyrics

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Laika
You don't come to me anymore
You stretched out
You've been to other men before

We took a backroad to the south
Never wonder why
We roll along this highway

We didn't have much time

Laika
You don't talk to me anymore
You stretched out
You've been to other girls before

We took a backroad to the south
Never wonder why
We roll along this highway
We didn't have much time

Laika was, Laika was
Laika was here

Laika was, Laika was
Laika was here

Overall Meaning

The Amsterdams’s song ‘Laika’ tells the story of a relationship that has ended, with the singer lamenting about a partner who no longer communicates with them. The lyrics paint a picture of a past relationship that has been stretched thin, with both parties having seen other people. The choice of the name ‘Laika’ for this person is interesting as it brings to mind the story of the Soviet space dog who became the first animal to orbit Earth. Just as Laika was sent into space alone, the singer in the song similarly feels like they are left alone by their former partner.

The lines “We took a backroad to the south, Never wonder why” and “We roll along this highway, We didn’t have much time” add to the sense of nostalgia and regret by suggesting that there was a feeling that things would only be temporary, yet now the loss is felt deeply. The repetition of “Laika was here” at the end of the song seems to be the singer wanting to hold on to the memory of this person and the relationship, despite it being over.

Line by Line Meaning

You don't come to me anymore
The person being addressed is no longer making an effort to visit the singer.

You stretched out
The person being addressed has grown distant from the singer.

You've been to other men before
The person being addressed has had intimate relationships with other men.

We took a backroad to the south
The artist and the person being addressed took an alternate route south instead of the main road.

Never wonder why
The artist and the person being addressed didn't question why they chose this path.

We roll along this highway
The singer and the person being addressed are currently driving down the highway.

We didn't have much time
The singer and the person being addressed were limited by time in their journey.

You don't talk to me anymore
The person being addressed no longer communicates with the artist.

You've been to other girls before
The person being addressed has had intimate relationships with other women.

Laika was, Laika was Laika was here
Repeated refrain emphasizing that Laika, whoever or whatever it represents, was once present and important in the situation.

Contributed by Nolan N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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