The band started up by playing a couple of gigs at the 13th Note in Glasgow, creating half hour-long pieces of music using guitars, bass, drums, theremin, tape loops from films and old folk/country songs, effects pedals, toy keyboards, thumb pianos, saws, computer games, and a lot of noise, in an attempt to try and discover a sound they could call their own and continue to develop. After these two shows, they rejected many gig offers, and became a more reclusive unit, spending any spare time they had in the studio focused on writing and sculpting away at new material.
In September 2005, they produced a 4-song demo with a 24-track desk, trying to get the best representation as possible, sent it over to Brighton-based Fat Cat Records. Alex Knight, co-founder of the label, went to Glasgow to watch the band perform their third gig and signed them on the spot. In November 2006, they made their first official release with The Twilight Sad, a US-only EP that helped bring attention to the band, as well as performances at CMJ '06 and SXSW '07 Festivals.
Their debut album, Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters, was recorded over a short period of three days and featured the first songs the band had ever created. It received good critical reception from the independent music media and turned the band into a reference point for the up-and-coming scottish indie scene at the time. Where the band’s recorded sound is layered with many melodies, their live sound is a more intense experience which replaces the intricacies of the recordings with a more visceral wall of sound, which is something the band intended to do all along.
In June 2008, they released the Here, It Never Snowed. Afterwards It Did EP, which included off-the-cuff reworkings of songs from the debut album, alongside the title track and a cover of Daniel Johnston, an artist they've cited as one of their main influences. The idea came about after the band played at London's Union Chapel, a venue with noise restrictions that forced them to perform with a more basic line-up of a fan organ, glockenspiel and percussion. During this time, the band recruited Martin "Dok" Docherty (formerly of Aereogramme) to play keyboards and additional guitar during the live shows. At the end of 2008, they released Killed My Parents and Hit the Road, a compilation to help fund their tour with fellow scots Mogwai. It consisted of live recordings, acoustic tracks, previously unreleased material, new demos and covers, which included The Smiths, Joy Division and Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Their second album, Forget The Night Ahead, was released in September 2009. For the recording process, the band disposed of their effect pedals and experimented with natural reverb using early krautrock techniques, like mic'ing up inside the studio walls and rooms on the other side of the building to get the drum sound. During this time, original bassist Craig Orzel left the band to pursue other projects. He was replaced in the live setting by Johnny Docherty of Take a Worm for a Walk Week. A year later the band released The Wrong Car EP that featured two b-sides from the 'Forget' sessions as well as remixes by fellow Scottish acts Mogwai and Errors.
The release of their third album No One Can Ever Know saw the band pursue a change in style, virtually eliminating delayed guitars and relying on vintage analog synthesizers instead. The album was recorded in February/March 2011 at The Pool studios in London and featured production assistance by Andrew Weatherall.
Drown So I Can Watch
The Twilight Sad Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But you carried it oh so well
You carried it oh so well
Don't you?
We've come to faar
But no one knows who you are
Carry me away from here
You carry me away from here
I put you through hell
But you carried it oh so well
You carried it oh so well
Don't you?
So tell me that you want me now
And tell me I don't mind you now
No, I can't go
She'll carry me away from here
She'll carry me away from here
She'll carry me away from here
You carry me away from here
You carry me away from here
You carry me away from here
There's a girl on my shoulder
Suffocate on my shoulder
There's a girl on my shoulder
Just slow, we come
My friend I know, too slow
There's no other way to go
Too slow, we come
My friend, I know too slow
There's no other way to go
The Twilight Sad's, "Drown So I Can Watch," conveys a sense of guilt and despair in its lyrics. The lines "I put you through hell, but you carried it oh so well" demonstrate the singer's awareness that they have been a source of pain for someone else, yet that person has remained resolute in their dedication. The repetition of "carry me away from here" seems to imply that the singer wishes to escape their own mistakes and shortcomings, but they cannot do so on their own. This is further emphasized by the lines "she'll carry me away from here," suggesting that the singer's desire to escape has become intertwined with their appreciation of another person's support.
The lyrics also touch on themes of identity and anonymity. "We've come too far, but no one knows who you are" acknowledges the idea that one can feel isolated even when surrounded by others. The idea of being carried away suggests a desire to flee from a place where one is unknown, unappreciated or simply does not belong. The song's final lines "My friend, I know too slow, there's no other way to go" indicate a sense of resignation, as if the singer is acknowledging that they cannot outrun or escape their own past actions.
Overall, the lyrics of "Drown So I Can Watch" seem to speak to the complex emotions that come with guilt and the desire for escape. While the singer recognizes their own culpability, they also seem to feel a sense of gratitude for the support of someone else. The idea of fleeing into anonymity, while tempting, ultimately proves impossible.
Line by Line Meaning
I put you through hell
I caused you a lot of pain and suffering
But you carried it oh so well
But you took it all in stride and remained strong
You carried it oh so well
You managed it very well
Don't you?
Right?
We've come to faar
We've come too far
But no one knows who you are
But nobody recognizes you
So carry me away from here
Take me away from here
So tell me that you want me now
So let me know that you still want me
And tell me I don't mind you now
And assure me that you're not upset with me
No, I can't go
No, I can't leave
She'll carry me away from here
She's going to take me away from here
You carry me away from here
You take me away from here
There's a girl on my shoulder
There's a weight on my shoulder
Suffocate on my shoulder
Feeling suffocated by the weight on my shoulder
Just slow, we come
We're moving too slowly
My friend I know, too slow
My friend, I know we're moving too slowly
There's no other way to go
There's no alternative route
Too slow, we come
We're coming too slowly
My friend, I know too slow
My friend, I know we're coming too slowly
There's no other way to go
There's no alternative route
Contributed by Mateo H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@AC-hj9tv
Based as hell
@eleonoralilithd.2203
💓
@KellieGregerson
You're too slow, he killed my friend, I know
Too slow, it's not the way to go
Too slow
@AC-hw5rs
Brilliant stuff
@octavia88
i don't get it I think you need to change your producer...you sound so flat on record and you're actually much better live...