Most of the band's albums, starting with their 2006 debut album Act I: The Lake South, the River North, are concept albums and a part of a common storyline, planned to conclude with a sixth album. The most recent addition is 2016's Act V: Hymns with the Devil in Confessional. Additionally, they have released albums unrelated to the Acts; The Color Spectrum in 2011, Migrant in 2013, and the EP All Is As All Should Be in 2017.
The band began as a side project of Casey Crescenzo when he was a full-time member of The Receiving End of Sirens. The Dear Hunter was originally intended as a vehicle for music Crescenzo had written that didn't fit with the sound of The Receiving End of Sirens. In the winter of 2005 Casey recorded the Dear Ms. Leading demos. He created 10 copies on burned CDs that were circulated amongst his friends and posted online for download. While elements and characters featured on the demos would reappear on the subsequent Acts, Crescenzo has confirmed that there was a transformation in how he represented these themes and persons; while the story had its origins in his personal life, the Acts removed most autobiographical elements in favor of fiction.
echo
The Dear Hunter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Drunk, looking for more.
Pressing my tongue to my teeth
No sound.
Skin begin to crawl
Stomach start to fall.
Feeling my lungs quicken pace
And blood begin to run.
Echo a name in the night
Bodies alone battle cry
Are we in love, or did we cross the line?
Maybe we're passing time one on one.
The Dear Hunter's song Echo speaks about a moment of doubt and uncertainty, where the singer questions the nature of their relationship with another person. The imagery of swaying back and forth, being drunk and looking for more, suggests a sense of restlessness and instability. The line "pressing my tongue to my teeth, no sound" suggests that the singer is holding back what they really want to say, perhaps out of fear of the possible consequences of their words.
The physical sensations described in the next two lines - the crawling skin, the falling stomach, and quickening lungs - suggest a sense of discomfort and unease. However, the line "and blood begin to run" also implies a sense of heightened excitement or anticipation. This leads up to the climax of the song, where the singer asks the question "Are we in love, or did we cross the line?", indicating that there is something ambiguous about their relationship with this other person. The final line "maybe we're passing time one on one" adds to this ambiguity, suggesting that the relationship may be primarily physical and lacking in emotional depth.
Overall, the lyrics of Echo paint a picture of a moment of doubt and confusion, where the singer is struggling to come to terms with their feelings for another person. The use of sensory imagery and rhetorical questions help to convey a sense of emotional complexity and uncertainty.
Line by Line Meaning
Swaying back and forth
Moving unsteadily in a drunken state.
Drunk, looking for more.
Intoxicated and searching for additional alcohol to consume.
Pressing my tongue to my teeth
Holding one's tongue and refraining from speaking.
No sound.
Complete silence.
Skin begin to crawl
Experiencing discomfort and unease, often due to anxiety or fear.
Stomach start to fall.
Feeling nauseous or queasy, often due to anxiety or fear.
Feeling my lungs quicken pace
Experiencing an increase in heart rate and breathing due to anxiety or fear.
And blood begin to run.
Feeling adrenaline coursing through one's body, often due to anxiety or fear.
Echo a name in the night
Repeating a person's name in a secluded and quiet environment.
Bodies alone battle cry
Two individuals engaging in a struggle or conflict while isolated from others.
Are we in love, or did we cross the line?
Questioning whether a romantic relationship is genuine or if it has gone too far past acceptable boundaries.
Maybe we're passing time one on one.
Perhaps the relationship is simply a means of killing time together, without any true emotional connection.
Contributed by Hailey D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.