During the Great Depression of the 30’s, American blues hero Son House wrote and recorded his signature song “Death Letter”. Somewhat 76 years later in 2006, singer/guitarist Jordi “Duende” Ariza Lora (19 yrs old) and drummer Victor Brandt (17 yrs old) from Dordrecht, Netherlands borrowed the name for their band, inspired by the song’s characteristic raw emotion and urgent rhythm. Also influenced by groups like The Thermals, Oceansize, Death Cab for Cutie, Cult of Luna and At The Drive-In, Death Letters aren’t even close to their twenties yet, but are already bursting with talent and growing experience.
Hitting it off immediately in their first rehearsal, Jordi and Victor became a tight musical pair and recorded their debut EP “Play it like you mean it” shortly afterwards. The EP was a success receiving excellent reviews.
Things really kicked off when the guys, then aged 15 and 16, entered a band competition and made their first TV appearance. They went for gold and got it; a backstage gig at Holland’s finest summerfestival ‘Pinkpop’. With the media all over them it was time to get serious; that same year they recorded their first full-length album.
Amsterdam based label Cool Buzz soon honed in on the Death Letters powerful sound and dynamic live performances, signed them in a heartbeat and released their debut self titled album in February 2009 throughout The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. The album delivers thirteen solid tracks drenched with rock, blues and a steep dose of punk boiled down to true grittiness written with blood, sweat and the occasional tear.
Gaining more attention with the release of the album, Death Letters began to tour a whole range of venues and festivals including Paradiso, Zwarte Cross and Paaspop, as well as several German stages. The Germans couldn’t get enough of the pair and so Death Letters teamed up with the Stagg-O-Lee Label (partner of the infamous Glitterhouse Records) to release the album in Switzerland, Germany and Austria.
The stage provides Death Letters with a free license to exalt untamed madness through their energetic live sets. Frontman Jordi literally jumps, flies, kicks and dives across the stage never compromising the integral performance of any song. His voice remains sturdy and sharp, his howls perfectly co-ordinating with his skills as a guitarist in spectacular licks. Now add Victor’s loud and incredibly taut drumming and you have a stage performance that impresses contemporaries and creates even more devoted followers.
But you will have to have just a little patience before the band will hit up the stages again. Right now Death Letters are working on writing and producing new material for their second album due out in January 2011. As the band develops, this second album will have a substantially different vibe, drawing more on a complex psychedelic punkrock sound than the bluesrock they started out with.
Watch out for Death Letters – things are only going to get more intense from here.
Band members:
Duende (guitar/vocals)
Victor Brandt (drums)
Your Heart Upside Down
The Death Letters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Crying loud, but you saw its sharp mouth
The bite, the bird, embrace all what hurts
A callous thorn runs your roseate curls
A Sunday to kill all reasons why
A Sunday to re-invent life
Holding on is thinner than slippery ice
Dark and deceiving moments came and went
The heart in a coffin is well spent
A Sunday to kill all reasons why
A Sunday to re-invent life
And I'm here to say
Cold blood, a heart astray
And hear me now
The heart upside down
Well I'd take a stand
If it didn't kill me to mend
The first verse of "Your Heart Upside Down" by The Death Letters paints a vivid picture of a haunting creature that has returned, with its eerie sound and sharp mouth. The imagery of "the bite, the bird" and "a callous thorn [running] your roseate curls" suggests that this creature is dangerous and potentially harmful. The second half of the verse introduces the idea of a Sunday that will "kill all reasons why" and allow for a reinvention of life, setting up a theme of rebirth and transformation.
The second verse continues with the theme of change, as the singer walks the streets and struggles to hold on in the face of "dark and deceiving moments." The line "the heart in a coffin is well spent" suggests that perhaps the singer has experienced heartbreak or loss, and is ready to move on from that pain. The theme of the Sunday that will bring transformation is repeated, reinforcing the sense of hopeful anticipation.
The chorus of the song brings everything together, with the singer proclaiming that they would "take a stand" if it wouldn't "kill me to mend." This line suggests that the singer feels stuck or powerless in some way, unable to act on their desire to change or heal. The final line of the chorus, "the heart upside down," echoes the title of the song and underscores the idea of upside-downness, or a sense of disorientation and confusion.
Overall, "Your Heart Upside Down" is a dark and moody song that explores themes of transformation and reinvention in the face of pain and loss. The vivid imagery and the repetition of the Sunday motif give the song a dreamlike quality, adding to its haunting and mysterious atmosphere.
Line by Line Meaning
They returned, the eyes, the soft eerie sound
Memories came back, the looks, the gentle yet haunting noise
Crying loud, but you saw its sharp mouth
Painful screams, but you realized its true intention
The bite, the bird, embrace all what hurts
Embracing the pain, like a bird biting you
A callous thorn runs your roseate curls
A harsh reality pricks you, affecting even the beautiful things
A Sunday to kill all reasons why
A day to find closure, to forget all the reasons behind it
A Sunday to re-invent life
A chance to start anew, to reinvent oneself
Walk the streets where your feet fly
Walk confidently, where you feel like you're flying
Holding on is thinner than slippery ice
Keeping a tight grip on things is precarious like standing on slippery ice
Dark and deceiving moments came and went
Difficult and misleading times have come and gone
The heart in a coffin is well spent
A broken heart is as good as dead
And I'm here to say
I'm here to speak my mind
Cold blood, a heart astray
Being cruel and lost at the same time
And hear me now
Listen to me carefully
The heart upside down
The heart is in turmoil
Well I'd take a stand
I would speak up for myself
If it didn't kill me to mend
If trying to fix it wouldn't destroy me
Contributed by Logan H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
don juan
Love it!
leed89deel
Found you guys in Rock Sound magazine.....great sound! Will definitely be looking into 'Post-Historic' :-)
H13R0NYMU5
Het lijkt me zo leuk om dit te kunnen spelen. Kun je de tabs alsjeblieft op internet zetten. Ps: jullie zijn geweldig, ga zo door.
roger rodgers
You guys were (still are I hope) a monumental talent. I honestly thought you would be a huge success! But where are you? This kind of talent must be shared with the world! I met you in Santa Cruz and both of you guys were so humble and nice. I was absolutely jolted by your performance at the Blue Lagoon, just astounding!
markoezzz1
Aah fantastisch jongens! Ik begin nu echt de moed op te geven voor de battle tegen My Worst Case Scenario met zo'n drummer... ;)
Marvin T
Het maakt niet uit hoe vaak ik dit nummer luister, ik krijg er maar geen genoeg van. Echt een eigen sound die gewoon geweldig is, kan niet wachten tot Post-Historic uitkomt. :)
Peter Clejan
brilliant duo!
don juan
this song ....awesome !
mdodeadone
seen you guys supporting anneke in the borderline and i loved your style. your album is killer :)
Redbloodsells
This band is deadly!