The Locust was formed by Justin Pearson, Bobby Bray, Dylan Scharf, Dave Warshaw, and Dave Astor. After a number of personnel changes, they arrived at their current four-piece lineup in 2001, consisting of Pearson, Bray, Gabe Serbian, and Joey Karam. Originally a powerviolence band with a strong tendency towards synth-based passages, they have more recently stripped down much of their past sound, but retained the heavy distortion, synthesizers, screamed vocals, and intense stage presence. On the band's unique sound and live presentations, singer/bassist Justin Pearson has said, "I wanted to change the way people perceive music, or maybe just destroy it in general." Their music is complex, dynamic and fast-paced, often featuring abrupt and inconsistent time-signature changes. These erratic elements are, according to guitarist Bobby Bray, "a reflection of perhaps how our brains have to function in order to be able to do anything in the Western societies we live in."
The Locust have a unique stage presence: costumed in skin-tight, full body nylon suits (which the band refer to as uniforms), they have at times come across to first-time viewers as frightening. The last 5 different suits were designed and made by Ben Warwas. Unlike most bands, which normally have the drums set up behind the other members, the four members of The Locust are usually all positioned in a line at the front of the stage. The group recommends that in order to get the full impact of the music, one should see them live. The Locust boycotts Clear Channel Communications and refuse to play in any Clear Channel-owned venues. This boycott affected a 2005 tour with Fantômas as well as another tour with Yeah Yeah Yeahs. They also have a policy of only playing all-ages shows. The band's lyrics range from stream-of-consciousness poetry to satirical portrayals of mainstream ideas of sexuality to political commentary and critiques of religion.
Futile Agreement
The Locust Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Process is a gamble.
Consume yourself.
To never understand.
Careless future.
Selfish life.
Bullshit handed down.
Do not look at your destruction.
Crippled you walk to your earth encrusted grave.
The opening line of "There is no reason to go on" sets the tone for the entire song, with a message of hopelessness and futility. The following lines speak to the idea that life is simply a series of processes and gambles, and that ultimately we will consume ourselves without ever truly coming to understand the world around us. The lyrics then take a turn to criticize the notion of a careless, selfish future and the idea that much of what we are handed down from previous generations is pure bullshit - a sentiment that is perhaps more relevant in today's increasingly polarized and divided world than ever before. The final lines of the song paint a vivid picture of the end result of such carelessness and destruction.
Line by Line Meaning
There is no reason to go on.
Continuing to exist is pointless.
Process is a gamble.
Moving forward in life is a risk.
Consume yourself.
Indulge in your own destruction.
To never understand.
You'll never comprehend the truth.
Careless future.
The future is reckless.
Selfish life.
You only think of yourself.
Bullshit handed down.
False narratives have been passed around.
Do not look at your destruction.
Ignore the devastation you've caused.
Do not see your death.
Blind yourself to the inevitability of death.
Crippled you walk to your earth encrusted grave.
You will slowly deteriorate until you reach your final resting place.
Contributed by Jayce T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
EliptikStudios
Such an awesome collection of songs.
joe jorge
Where else does Futile Agreement appear? In a different form?
scott
who's doing the deeper vocals?
Nick Gonzalez
i think its gabe
he does the drums now
EliptikStudios
Nick Gonzalez I don't think Gabe was in the band at this point. It was probably ether Justin or Jimmy (their old keyboardist).
Eric Sandoval
Jimmy from The Album Leaf