Do I Look Like I’m In Love?, the new full-length from The Prids, illustrat… Read Full Bio ↴Do I Look Like I’m In Love?, the new full-length from The Prids, illustrates the Portland dark pop band’s mettle through keen lyrical observations, but also in its attention to sonic detail and song craft—this record couldn’t have been made by any other band at any other time. “Do I Look Like I’m In Love?” and “The Shape” both swirl and build like dreams filled with grey skies and the flickering faces of past friends and lovers. These songs nudge up against the air-brushed punk of “Lie Here” and the bass-driven “Colliding,” which recalls the dazed jangle of early R.E.M. More than two decades in, The Prids have made the best and most cohesive album of their career.

The fact that there’s even a new Prids record is a miracle. In March of 2015 bassist-vocalist Mistina La Fave suffered a brain hemorrhage the night before the band was scheduled to enter the studio. The recovery was physically and mentally taxing, and La Fave is lucky to be alive, let alone playing and performing again. The Prids’ 22 years have been marked with death, sickness, divorce, and a near-fatal van crash that cut a tour short and left members bloody and broken—but they survive through the friendship and bond of founding members La Fave and guitarist-vocalist David Frederickson. While those events have invariably made their way into the band’s narrative, the two simply chalk it up to life.

They met in La Fave’s small hometown of Saint Joseph, Missouri, in 1995, not long after Frederickson had moved there from Southern California. They started a relationship (they divorced in 2001, not long after they married), formed The Prids, and moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, before settling in Portland, Oregon, in 1999. In that time they’ve released four full-lengths and a trail of EPs, toured all over the world, while gaining the respect of bands throughout Portland for their tenacity and longevity (The Prids are one of the longest-running active bands in the city). They continue to make music for the right reasons—with or without a label, for themselves. A few years ago they brought in drummer Gordon Nickel and multi-instrumentalist Tim Yates, their sturdiest lineup to date. These four individuals are what make Do I Look Like I’m In Love? such a special record.

Throughout it all The Prids have remained completely DIY (the band even launched its own label/artist collective This-a-Way Records in 1996). Their videos and album art are as brilliantly conceived as the music itself. And in 2017 the Prids are playing with the same ardor they did 20 years ago. They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and this band is the embodiment of that.

All That You Want
The Prids Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Feel something
Fill us all with
Your new brand of fear
All that you want, please
All that you want

Tie it tighter
Deep inside there

Never let it heal
All that you want, please
All that you want

Helicopter
Firestarter
Tell us what to kill
All that you want, please
Kill anything you want

Growing colder
Never older
Sweet new killing fields
All that you want, please
Is this what we want

Cut to close-up
Fade when eyes shut
Graphics seal the deal
All that you want, please
Turn into what you want

Sick discussing
Carpet bombing
We know where they live

All that you want, please
Kill anything you want

Overall Meaning

The Prids’ song “All that You Want” is characterized by powerful lyrics that speak volumes about violence and fear. The opening verse of the song is quite intriguing, as it invites the listener to feel something and fill everyone with a brand new fear. The song seems to touch on the idea that fear is contagious and can be transferred to others, allowing people to control the emotions of the masses.

The repeated phrase “All that you want” serves as a reminder of human greed and the unquenchable thirst for power, even if it means hurting others in the process. The lyrics explore the notion of “tying” something deeply inside oneself, never letting it heal and allowing it to fester. This could represent the hidden fears and desires that people try to suppress, but which ultimately manifest themselves in unhealthy ways.

The use of violent imagery in the lyrics is also quite prominent, especially in the lines about “helicopter” and “firestarter” telling people what to kill. The song suggests that society has become desensitized to violence and is always on the lookout for new things to kill. The idea of “sweet new killing fields” is particularly disturbing, as it suggests that people are constantly searching for new and innovative ways to harm others. Overall, “All that You Want” serves as a poignant reminder of the dangers of unchecked human greed and the need to be mindful of the consequences of our actions.

Line by Line Meaning

Feel something
Experience a certain emotion or sensation

Fill us all with
Provide or bestow a feeling upon everyone

Your new brand of fear
A unique and novel way of inducing fear in others

All that you want, please
Requesting permission or approval for desires

Tie it tighter
Secure something more firmly or restrictively

Deep inside there
Somewhere in the depths and innermost part

Never let it heal
Prevent something from becoming better or recovering

Helicopter
A type of aircraft that can lift off vertically

Firestarter
Someone who initiates or instigates conflicts or tensions

Tell us what to kill
Command or instruct to eliminate a particular target

Kill anything you want
Granting permission or authorization to take any life