The Kissaway Trail (formerly known as Isles or as Hostmom) are an undergrou… Read Full Bio ↴The Kissaway Trail (formerly known as Isles or as Hostmom) are an underground indie/artrock band from Odense, Denmark.
The band has five members:
Thomas L. Fagerlund - Vocals, Guitar
Søren B. Corneliussen - Vocals, Guitar
Daniel Skjoldmose - Guitar, Keys, Backing Vocals
Rune Pedersen - Bass, Backing vocals
Hasse Mydtskov - Drums, Backing vocals

Their sound is quite similar to some other Danish bands, such as The Figurines, Moi Caprice and Mew. Internationally, comparisons can be made to Modest Mouse, Mercury Rev, Arcade Fire and the Flaming Lips.

Three members of The Kissaway Trail (Søren, Thomas and Rune) originally recorded together under the names of ‘Hostmom’ and ‘Isles’. Isles self-released an album called "We have decided not to die" in 2005. Since then, an additional guitarist, Daniel, and drummer Hasse joined the band, while Thomas started to sing alongside Søren making the distinctive two lead-vocal sound that they have today. Various tracks from this early period of the bands history can still be downloaded from Danish music websites. The band’s musical existence very nearly ended when Søren lost his love for music after his father was killed under tragic circumstances. However, he made his own decision to start performing and recording again, and The Kissaway Trail started to create their debut album.

Their material is released in Europe (aside from Scandinavia) and Japan by Bella Union, Etch n Sketch in Australia and New Zealand, and Playground Music in Scandinavia. On their breakthrough album underground producer Morten Frank helped them in the studio.

The title of their song 61 relates to the number of days a band member had to wait to hear if their family member had a terminal illness. The member involved is kept under wraps, obviously for very personal reasons; some fans believe it is Hasse, the drummer, because he has a tattoo of the number '61' on his chest. Other sources suggest he just might have got the tattoo because, according to his own admission, 61 is his favourite song to play live.

In the Autumn of 2007, The Kissaway Trail acted as the main support for Editors on their UK and European tours, alongside Ra Ra Riot in the UK and The Boxer Rebellion in Europe.

The Kissaway Trail are renowned for their own individual slant on the English language within their lyrics.

The band have cited influences to their music include The Beach Boys, Granddaddy, Daniel Johnston and Sonic Youth, amongst others. The lack of an obvious way to describe their music has brought common comparisons between themselves and the Polyphonic Spree and Canadian band the Arcade Fire. There is some truth with these similarities.

The band have been known for their live performances, which have included songs from 'The Kissaway Trail', as well as b-sides such as 'Romeo And Romeo' and 'La Mia'. They have also performed at the Wireless, Latitude and SXSW festivals in 2007, and the Montreaux Jazz Festival in 2008, where they supported Interpol and The National.

The band released an EP called "Into the Ocean and Rise Again" in 2006, and their debut album called "The Kissaway Trail" was released in 2007 from which 3 singles have been taken to date (Smother + Evil = Hurt, La La Song & 61

SDP
The Kissaway Trail Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Humans in their spring livery,
skinny boys without much meat on them.
Boys licked their lips as the "war" was cut,
movements that inflamed the girls with tears

We'll do it for fathers
we'll do it for mothers
we'll do it for sister

we'll do it for brothers

Enemies filled with holes and gaps
and we did it with poetry
Pads of cotton wool and gauze for our wounds
the beauty pales beside the films
and the friends that you fight with
all dressed in evil girls holding their hands

We'll do it for fathers
we'll do it for mothers

we'll do it for sisters
we'll do it for brothers

Overall Meaning

The Kissaway Trail's song SDP seems to be about the experience of war, specifically focused on the teenage boys who are sent to fight. The first verse describes the young soldiers, who are still physically immature and don't have much meat on their bones. These boys are excited by the prospect of war, which is represented here by the provocative language of "boys licked their lips as the 'war' was cut". This excitement is contrasted with the sadness and fear of the girls who are left behind, who are "inflamed...with tears" by the movements of the boys.

The second verse goes on to describe some of the realities of war, such as the way that the enemy becomes dehumanized and violent acts are justified as poetic. There is also a sense of distance from the violence, as the soldiers patch up their wounds with cotton wool and gauze. Despite this, however, there is a bond between the soldiers (the "friends that you fight with") which is stronger than any other relationship, including with family members. The repeated refrain of "we'll do it for fathers/mothers/sisters/brothers" emphasizes the idea that the soldiers are fighting for something greater than themselves, but also hints at a sense of duty or obligation.

Overall, the song seems to be exploring the complex emotions that arise in the context of war, from excitement and camaraderie to fear and sadness. It also suggests that war can change a person's sense of identity and priorities, with the bonds formed between fellow soldiers perhaps becoming more important than pre-existing relationships.

Line by Line Meaning

Humans in their spring livery,
Young men dressed in their finest clothes for spring. (Spring livery refers to clothing worn during springtime.)

skinny boys without much meat on them.
These young men are thin and lack physical bulk.

Boys licked their lips as the "war" was cut,
The boys were excited for the start of the "war" (unclear what the "war" refers to exactly) and were eagerly anticipating it.

movements that inflamed the girls with tears
The boys' movements (actions, gestures, etc.) made the girls cry with excitement or emotion.

We'll do it for fathers
We will fight for our fathers (possibly referring to a larger cause or conflict).

we'll do it for mothers
We will fight for our mothers (possibly referring to a larger cause or conflict).

we'll do it for sister
We will fight for our sisters (possibly referring to a larger cause or conflict).

we'll do it for brothers
We will fight for our brothers (possibly referring to a larger cause or conflict).

Enemies filled with holes and gaps
The antagonists or enemies that the artist is referring to are vulnerable, with clear weaknesses or imperfections.

and we did it with poetry
The artist and their team used cunning or artful methods to defeat or outmaneuver their opponents.

Pads of cotton wool and gauze for our wounds
The singer and their comrades used cotton wool and gauze to tend to their wounds and injuries post-battle.

the beauty pales beside the films
The spectacle and grandeur of the battle fades in comparison to the movies or films that it inspired (perhaps suggesting that the conflict was influenced by media or pop culture).

and the friends that you fight with
The singer fought alongside their friends or comrades during the battle.

all dressed in evil girls holding their hands
The singer and their friends fought while being supported or encouraged by their female companions or partners.

Contributed by Aiden V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS