After the release of their major label debut, Dwell, in 2008, The Envy Corps have retreated back to the studio to record their anticipated sophomore album, tentatively entitled It Culls You. Luke Pettipoole (vocals, bass), Brandon Darner (guitar), Micah Natera (synthesizer, guitar) and Scott Yoshimura (drums) are redefining their sound by taking the pop melodies of their early work and marrying them with a heightened rhythmic sense and a more stripped down, concise approach to instrumentation. The new material has made appearances at recent live shows with fans embracing the bands’ exploration into a less syrupy landscape that stretches the boundaries of the conventional immediate pop song.
Pettipoole formed the band in Ames in 2002 and shepherded a rotating cast of musicians until 2005, in which time their debut, Soviet Reunion, was released on Ames’ Bi-Fi Records. The band really started to take shape once Darner and Yoshimura came aboard in mid-2005, marking a change in sound and aspiration. The EP I Will Write You Love Letters If You Tell Me To was self-released in April 2006 and afforded the band their first taste of national attention by charting well on the CMJ Top 200. Soon after, the band were asked to join The Killers' U.S tour. Labels began to take notice and in the summer of 2006, a Vertigo/Universal A&R rep flew in from London to attend a hometown show and the band landed a record deal. Work on the self-produced Dwell began in November 2006 and the album was completed in England in March 2007.
With recording coming to a close, the band found themselves living in a flat in South London, performing across Britain at every opportunity. They logged more than 200 shows in 2007 alongside bands like Editors, The Killers (again), Mute Math, Eisley, and even secured a slot at the famed Glastonbury festival. Near the end of the year, unexpected trauma threatened the band when Darner suffered a stroke on stage in London. He was rushed to the hospital and recovered quickly, even rejoining the band on the road the following week. Despite growing buzz, a two-page spread in NME, Dwell track “Story Problem's” inclusion in the film Run Fatboy Run and an ever-increasing European fanbase, Vertigo delayed the album release and the band returned to the U.S.
Dwell was finally released in April 2008 in the UK and appeared stateside in digital format in July. The album received positive reviews from critics, but momentum for the album had fizzled, and in the fall of 2008, the band, anxious to focus on their career in the U.S., parted ways with Vertigo.
The Envy Corps released the Kid Gloves EP in April 2009 on their own Tempo Club imprint. The five-song taster gained blog and radio attention throughout the Midwest and its songs were featured in HBO’s Entourage and Showtime’s Look. The quartet have spent time since the release attending to their steadily maturing Midwest fanbase and writing and recording at their home studio in Des Moines and Mike Mogis' ARC Studios in Omaha, Nebraska. Content to take the reigns of any and all aspects of their sophomore effort - recording, engineering, producing, releasing - The Envy Corps are eager to bring their new music to those willing to listen.
Rhinemaidens
The Envy Corps Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I had just received the final blow, knockout
You, my smelling salt by way the sea
Oh, it seemed, as though I'd finally re-attached this phantom limb
Twitching into place where it had always been
Pins and needles felt like cotton
Laugh because you know you're free for the time being
In the dark, I can find my way because I feel the sparks
Surging from your fingers just like kind remarks
Telling me the day is coming soon
Would you be my Freia with her apples, or the seventh seal
Signalling the rapture and a call to kneel
"No" we say, cause it's not coming
I left you in the middle of a dustcloud
Hoping then to lose you like a ship in fog
But palms across the desert crossed the sea
Were my last words not quite as sobering as my epitaph
Faint hymns and unuttered oaths, they line the path
But I'd like to bypass ruin
Let's sing songs and spite the devil, spite the devil, spite him.
The Envy Corps’s “Rhinemaidens” is a beautifully written song that tells a tale of meeting someone who becomes your savior in the midst of difficulty. The song opens with the singer expressing that he met this person (likely a lover) in the middle of a raincloud just after he had been knocked out with a final blow. For him, this person becomes a source of strength and comfort, acting as his smelling salt, and “re-attaching the phantom limb.” The pain of the knock out is replaced with pins and needles that almost feel like cotton, and he is able to laugh because he now knows that he is free for the time being.
As the song progresses, we see the singer acknowledging that the day of reckoning is coming soon. He finds his way in the dark by feeling the sparks surging from his lover’s fingers, much like kind remarks. With the power of her love, they can “spite the devil.” The singer questions whether this person will be his “Freia with her apples, or the seventh seal signaling the rapture and a call to kneel, ” but they declare that it’s not coming.
In the end, the singer confesses that he had hoped to lose this person like a ship in fog, but their love was too strong. He had wanted to bypass ruin, but with this person, they can sing songs and spite the devil, pushing through even difficult times with their love.
Line by Line Meaning
I met you in the middle of a raincloud
I encountered you when I was feeling down and beaten.
I had just received the final blow, knockout
I was dealt a devastating defeat just before we met.
You, my smelling salt by way the sea
You acted as a refreshing tonic for me in a rough and tumultuous time.
Oh, it seemed, as though I'd finally re-attached this phantom limb
It felt like I had finally regained something that had been lost or missing for a long time.
Twitching into place where it had always been
It felt like the reattachment was natural and comfortable, like it had always been there.
Pins and needles felt like cotton
The sensation of temporary discomfort felt comforting and mild in comparison to the previous pain.
Laugh because you know you're free for the time being
Enjoy the moment of freedom, even if it's brief and temporary.
In the dark, I can find my way because I feel the sparks
I feel a sense of guidance and direction even in troubling and uncertain times.
Surging from your fingers just like kind remarks
This guidance comes from the comfort and inspiration I find in your presence.
Telling me the day is coming soon
You provide hope and motivation for a brighter future ahead.
Would you be my Freia with her apples, or the seventh seal
You symbolize hope and salvation like Freia, or possibly even signify the end of the world (seventh seal).
Signalling the rapture and a call to kneel
You could signify the end of the world or a great event, bringing a call for reverence and worship.
"No" we say, cause it's not coming
We refuse to believe in a doomsday scenario, preferring to focus on hope and positivity.
I left you in the middle of a dustcloud
I left your presence during a difficult time, hoping to escape from the troubles around me.
Hoping then to lose you like a ship in fog
I secretly wanted to forget you and move on, like a ship that disappears into a thick fog.
But palms across the desert crossed the sea
Despite my attempts to move on, something miraculous happened that showed me the futility of running away.
Were my last words not quite as sobering as my epitaph
I didn't end things on a calm note, and in hindsight, realized that things could have ended worse.
Faint hymns and unuttered oaths, they line the path
There are hints of something greater along my journey, but I may never fully understand or appreciate it.
But I'd like to bypass ruin
Despite the potential for disaster, I hope to avoid it and find a better way forward.
Let's sing songs and spite the devil, spite the devil, spite him.
Instead of being afraid of what's to come, let's find joy and strength in our defiance and resistance to negativity and evil.
Contributed by Keira K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
SPEEDR
The most underrated band ever :)
Field Admiral Spartan Ryse B-87
The most underrated song of all time
Scott Penick
Still a great song in 2020.
I mean, 2020 hasn't been great, but the song is.
FCJ _
2021 checkin' I - the song still hits.
Nerd Noise Radio
This band, and many others prove that there's a lot more to the Des Moines music scene than just Slipknot and Stone Sour (and much better things to the scene than Slipknot and Stone Sour). :-) #prouddesmoineser
kcutz
This comment is a bit ironic considering Brandon played a couple shows as Slipknots percussionist and actually handed down the liar mask to Chris.
dronus
The lyrics alone are enough to uplift you into good Spirits.
Dave Shannon
Absolutely love this.
Bradley Pollard
I wish there was a song for Pip Pip. I really like this band loads
The Sightseeing Being
Cant wait to see you guys in 80/35!