The quintet is comprised of seasoned musicians with national and international touring experience, and successful track records with both major and independent labels. The band has toured with Twin Forks, Augustana and Pigpen Theater Co. In addition to Zach Porter, the band includes Cameron Quiseng (bass), Chris Morrison (lead guitar), Ans Gibson (drums), and Gabe Rudner (keyboard). With The Tragic Thrills, the band members break away from their legacies to rally behind the poetic and irreverently romantic songs Porter has crafted. Emboldened by the fresh start, the guys have taken the reins to steer their destiny. They self-funded their self-titled debut, and, enamored with the subtle genius production on Mat Kearney’s Young Love, handpicked producer Jason Lehning.
It’s a bold way to launch a new band, but that move keeps within the vibrant emotionality packed in the group’s moniker. “The name The Tragic Thrills embodies a sense of what I owe. Not what I owe to anyone, just what it’ll take for me to find whatever the hell it is I’m looking for in life,” Porter reveals.
For Porter, love pulled him off the music business treadmill and brought him back to soulful creative authenticity. “Meeting my girlfriend changed everything,” he confides. “In the past, being in a successful band was the most important thing in the world to me—I was willing to do whatever it took to make it.. Now I’m able to write in a way that my ambitions had stopped me from before. “
The band recently signed to Washington Square, the new Razor & Tie imprint. The Tragic Thrills debut is sublimely modern with skyward, atmospheric anthemics tastefully balanced by poignant and quaint touches likes stately cello, crystalline piano, and shimmering guitars. Against this expansive backdrop, Porter sings his powerfully confessional lyrics with rawness and urgency.
Throughout the album Porter’s lyric writing is a revelation; it’s blunt and pent-up but bursting with emotion about relationships: romantic, friendship, and business. On “Tears” he sings: I lost it all/I punched the wall again/But it was stronger than my hands/And they were swollen, they were red/And I’m a fool/I’m not a lion, I’m a man I can’t outrun the hurt they said/But I can love and love again/And you too, you too. “I have days quite often where I find myself relating to ‘Tears,’ in many different ways,” he says candidly. “I have something that means everything to me. And with that connection and devotion comes the greatest moments in my life but also some of the hardest.”
Another standout, “Creeps & Strangers” seizes a different end of the emotional spectrum, recounting a particularly chilling experience. “My girlfriend would take the bus to work every day,” he remembers. “There was this really creepy guy who would stare at her like he wanted to murder her. It was horrible. I was in Nashville thinking about this creep and how I didn’t want her to ride the bus anymore. That idea eventually evolved into something broader about people's lives in general, the routine, and wanting to break the cycle of things you hate.”
The hauntingly beautiful “Fever” features some of his most imaginative and stinging lyrical ideas. “There are three different stories in ‘Fever.’ The first story I made up, although it’s safe to say it happens all the time. The other two stories are personal stories from my life,” he explains. “Getting these stories out in these songs is a huge release for me. When I sing that song I mean every word.”
The Tragic Thrills sought out producer Jason Lehning for his fingerprint aesthetic of sleek poise and unvarnished expressiveness. “Jason was everything I needed. He was the perfect balance of challenging me and letting me do my thing to capture an emotion,” explains Porter.
“The whole time I was making the record there was a sense of purpose,” Porter says pensively, thinking back. “It felt like it was exactly what I should be doing. That sense of purpose gets me through everything.”
The Garden
The Tragic Thrills Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The vines grew tall but there's some beauty underneath
May not be much but it's everything we need
It's ours and that's enough for me
Years fly by
Or rot my teeth
We all want an endless love
An endless love
No endless sleep
Our hearts will stay alive after our bodies leave
Sit on these steps and touch the paint
So both our ghosts remember
Don't cry
Etch our names will finger on
Like the rake and the spade
In the garden that we made
It was a garden right here, forever.
I used to wonder how I would fill the years
A life is too long if there's no love for you to share,
So when I met you, I finally felt fear
Because I never want this to end
We lay in bed late and talk of life and death
Of all the poets who laid their minds to rest
The question's always what happens next?
And it's a sore subject (just bones and flesh)
Years fly by
Or rot my teeth
We all want an endless love
To keep away the aging
An endless love
No endless sleep
Our hearts will stay alive after our bodies leave
Sit on these steps and touch the paint
So both our ghosts remember. Don't cry
Etch our names will finger on
Like the rake and the spade
In the garden that we made
It was a garden right here, forever
Years fly by
Or rot my teeth
We all want an endless love
To keep away the aging
An endless love
No endless sleep
Our hearts will stay alive after our bodies leave
An endless love
No endless sleep
Our hearts will stay alive after our bodies leave
Like the rake and the spade
In the garden that we made
It was a garden right here, forever
The song "The Garden" by The Tragic Thrills is a beautiful, heartfelt expression of love and devotion that lasts beyond death. The lyrics describe a couple taking care of their garden, with one person tending to it while the other trims the weeds. Despite the years that fly by or the concerns about their aging, they believe that their love will endure beyond their physical bodies. The song is characterized by a soft, slow melody that effectively complements the tender, introspective nature of the lyrics.
The lyrics mention the passage of time and the inevitability of aging, but they also provide comfort in the fact that their love will never die. The garden they tend to is a metaphor for their relationship, in which they can always find something beautiful and worth cherishing, even amongst the weeds. They will share their memories and love beyond the physical world, as they both leave their mark on the garden they created.
Overall, "The Garden" is a touching and poetic reflection on the nature of love and mortality. It reminds us that even though we may face uncertainty and change, we can always strive to create something beautiful that will outlast us.
Line by Line Meaning
You tend to the garden, I'll trim the weeds
I'll take care of the unwanted things and you take care of the beautiful things in our relationship.
The vines grew tall but there's some beauty underneath
Our love has grown and changed, but there is still something strong and beautiful beneath it all.
May not be much but it's everything we need
Our love may not always be perfect, but it's all we need to be happy.
It's ours and that's enough for me
Our love is ours alone, and that's all that really matters to me.
Years fly by or rot my teeth
Time passes quickly and can take a toll on our physical bodies.
We all want an endless love to keep away the aging
We desire a love that will withstand the tests of time and keep us feeling young and alive even as we age.
No endless sleep, our hearts will stay alive after our bodies leave
Even after we die, our love will live on in the hearts of those who loved us and in the memories we leave behind.
Sit on these steps and touch the paint, so both our ghosts remember
Let's take a moment to appreciate the memories we've created together and make sure we never forget them.
Don't cry, etch our names will finger on, like the rake and the spade
Let's leave something behind to remember the love we shared, like the tools we used to tend to our garden.
In the garden that we made, it was a garden right here, forever
Our love, like the garden we tended to, has always been here and will continue to be here, even after we're gone.
I used to wonder how I would fill the years
Before I met you, I didn't know how to make my life meaningful and fulfilling.
A life is too long if there's no love for you to share
Without love, life can feel empty and meaningless, no matter how long it lasts.
So when I met you, I finally felt fear
Meeting you made me feel vulnerable and scared because I never want to lose the love we share.
Because I never want this to end
I truly hope that the love we share will last forever.
We lay in bed late and talk of life and death
We stay up late discussing the meaning of life and the inevitability of death.
Of all the poets who laid their minds to rest
We discuss the legacies of famous poets who have passed away.
The question's always what happens next?
We wonder about the future and what will happen to our love as time goes on.
And it's a sore subject (just bones and flesh)
The idea of our physical bodies deteriorating with time is a difficult and painful topic to confront.
Like the rake and the spade, in the garden that we made
Our love will leave behind an impression, much like the gardening tools we used to create our beautiful garden.
It was a garden right here, forever
Our love has always been here and will continue to exist, even after we're gone.
Contributed by Julia D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Aaron Gomez
You tend to the garden, I'll trim the weeds
The vines grew tall but there's some beauty underneath
May not be much but it's everything we need
It's ours and that's enough for me
Years fly by,
Or rot my teeth,
We all want an endless love
To keep away the aging
An endless love
No endless sleep
Our hearts will stay alive after our bodies leave
Sit on these steps and touch the paint
So both our ghosts remember, don't cry
Etch our names in the wood
And all our words will linger on
Like the rake and the spade
In the garden that we made
It's a garden right here forever
I used to wonder how I would fill the years
A life's too long if there's no love for you to share
So when I met you, I finally felt fear
'Cause I never want this to end
We lay in bed late and talk of life and death
Of all the poets who laid their minds to rest
The question's always, what happens next?
And it's a sore subject (just bones and flesh)
Years fly by,
Or rot my teeth,
We all want an endless
To keep away the aging
An endless love
No endless sleep
Our hearts will stay alive after our bodies leave
Sit on these steps and touch the paint
So both our ghosts remember don't cry
Etch our names in the wood
And all our words will linger on
Like the rake and the spade
In the garden that we made
It was a garden
Right here
Forever
Years fly by,
Or rot my teeth,
We all want an endless love
To keep away the aging
An endless love
No endless sleep
Our hearts will stay alive after our bodies leave
An endless love
No endless sleep
Our hearts will stay alive after our bodies leave
Like the rake and the spade
In the garden that we made
It was a garden
Right here
Forever
Aaron Gomez
You tend to the garden, I'll trim the weeds
The vines grew tall but there's some beauty underneath
May not be much but it's everything we need
It's ours and that's enough for me
Years fly by,
Or rot my teeth,
We all want an endless love
To keep away the aging
An endless love
No endless sleep
Our hearts will stay alive after our bodies leave
Sit on these steps and touch the paint
So both our ghosts remember, don't cry
Etch our names in the wood
And all our words will linger on
Like the rake and the spade
In the garden that we made
It's a garden right here forever
I used to wonder how I would fill the years
A life's too long if there's no love for you to share
So when I met you, I finally felt fear
'Cause I never want this to end
We lay in bed late and talk of life and death
Of all the poets who laid their minds to rest
The question's always, what happens next?
And it's a sore subject (just bones and flesh)
Years fly by,
Or rot my teeth,
We all want an endless
To keep away the aging
An endless love
No endless sleep
Our hearts will stay alive after our bodies leave
Sit on these steps and touch the paint
So both our ghosts remember don't cry
Etch our names in the wood
And all our words will linger on
Like the rake and the spade
In the garden that we made
It was a garden
Right here
Forever
Years fly by,
Or rot my teeth,
We all want an endless love
To keep away the aging
An endless love
No endless sleep
Our hearts will stay alive after our bodies leave
An endless love
No endless sleep
Our hearts will stay alive after our bodies leave
Like the rake and the spade
In the garden that we made
It was a garden
Right here
Forever
Cody Lowes
havent heard these songs in nearly 5 years, tonight i remembered this wonderful album and had to search for it, only knowing the first line of this song by heart, here i am. this takes me back so far
Nohemmy McTubester
Ya'll have seriously changed, but it's amazing! I can't wait for a new album and such. People need to know about you guys cause UGH PERFECTION!
Jennifer Jane
It's defiantly a change and I defiantly love it! I'm so excited for more to come. Some people just can't handle change and they're going to try and drag you down along the way. Them playing as Allstar Weekend is like Miley Cyrus playing Hannah Montana all her life. People grow up. Get over it!! Follow your hearts guys! I love you and I'm gonna follow you on your journey! <3
Kristin Walerowicz
I do come back to this album over and over when I am upset
Lorena Galvan
This is my favorite song definitely! I still hear it everyday. 😏
🎶An endless love, no endless sleep...
Our hearts will stay alive after our bodies leave...🎶
Emilypink100
Love this one :)
alexa
this song is perfect
weinam pyngrope
gosh!! i'm in love with this song..
MsAndreaAM
My favorite from the album