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.
Wires & Wool
The Envy Corps Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One for the row.
The pace of the guillotine is quickening.
And nothing can stop him for now.
I'll be fine.
Once I repatch these cables to my spine.
Thinning out like a skein of twine.
And in the time it took to write you this song,
I could have crossed my last rubicon.
But the memories of fantasies of melodies,
They strung me back along.
So, I want out.
Put me on a train, anywhere South.
I want out.
I'm prepared to drink a season of drought.
I'll shake off,
This dense desideratum.
Like a slough,
All hail to a mouth sewn shut.
And in the time it took to write you this song,
I could've mapped a million ways home.
But the memories and fantasies were fallacies,
I'd missed it all along.
So, I want out.
Put me on a train, anywhere South.
I want out.
I'm prepared to drink a season of drought.
The lyrics to The Envy Corps's song Wires & Wool contain a lot of vivid imagery and powerful emotions. The first few lines immediately set the tone for the song, with the mention of the bourgeoisie and the guillotine indicating some sort of societal unrest or class conflict. The line "And nothing can stop him for now" suggests that this conflict is in motion and unstoppable.
The next set of lines is even more introspective, with the singer acknowledging a personal struggle and the need to "repatch these cables to my spine." The comparison of the singer's state of being to a skein of twine being thinned out is both poetic and poignant, indicating a sense of depletion or unraveling.
The chorus of the song repeats the lines "I want out" and "I'm prepared to drink a season of drought" multiple times, driving home the idea that the singer is desperate to escape something, whether it's a personal situation or a larger societal issue. The use of the metaphor of drinking a season of drought is particularly powerful, suggesting that the singer is willing to endure hardship in order to find a better life.
Line by Line Meaning
One for the bourgeoisie.
Acknowledging the privileged class while implicating they may not understand the struggles of others.
One for the row.
Also recognizing the common people who make up the majority of society.
The pace of the guillotine is quickening.
Political unrest is building and the threat of revolution is increasing.
And nothing can stop him for now.
The forces driving this revolution seem unstoppable, at least in the short term.
I'll be fine.
Appearing confident despite the turmoil going on around the artist.
Once I repatch these cables to my spine.
The singer has a plan to adapt and overcome whatever challenges they'll face.
Thinning out like a skein of twine.
Despite the appearance of confidence, the singer may be feeling stretched thin or losing hope.
And in the time it took to write you this song, I could have crossed my last rubicon.
Time is running out and the artist might have no choice but to take drastic action soon.
But the memories of fantasies of melodies, They strung me back along.
Nostalgia and the power of music are keeping the artist from making a move they might regret.
So, I want out. Put me on a train, anywhere South.
The artist wants to escape the current political turmoil and start fresh somewhere else.
I'm prepared to drink a season of drought.
The singer is willing to endure hardship if it means getting away from their current situation.
I'll shake off, This dense desideratum.
The artist is determined to let go of their desires and dreams, no matter how difficult it may be.
Like a slough, All hail to a mouth sewn shut.
The singer is shedding their old self and accepting the silence that comes with starting anew.
But the memories and fantasies were fallacies, I'd missed it all along.
The singer realizes that their desires and dreams were unrealistic and perhaps even harmful in the context of their current situation.
So, I want out. Put me on a train, anywhere South.
Repeating the desire to leave and start fresh somewhere else.
I'm prepared to drink a season of drought.
Repeating the willingness to endure hardship to make this happen.
Contributed by Elliot J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Vinicius Eduardo
Great Band! I loved this song since i heard the album for the First time, ten years ago and i still like even more, great stuff
AFFABLE INEFFABLE HIRAETH
Just heard you guys for the first time through a website called Gnoosic
You guys kick ass, Love what you guys are putting out. Any tour dates planned?
Would love to see you guys sometime.
Peace out!
jchavez8 jchavez8
I haven't listened to this since Myspace days! <3 still just as good except I am no longer scene queen
Maria Arboleda
<3
WesFu
what the hell? I want the ending!?!!
MrGEK444
A blast from your comment past. You're welcome! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0oZeP1-xXw
Julian Sanchez
someone say me where found this song in spotify?
Tom Sturgess
The end of the song is in that fucking box!!!!! GET IT BITCHTITS!
Original Scum
I fell down a slipknot worm hole and made it here. This aint bad.
Vulcan1576
Would probably help if the end wasn't cut off.