The Unseen formed in Boston 1993 and released the demo EP Too Young To Know...Too Reckless To Care in 1994. Two other 7" EPs followed, before the release of their debut full-length, Lower Class Crucifixion on A-F Records. Another two albums followed on the same label before they signed to BYO Records, and then, Hellcat Records. Each of their albums have sold moderately better than previous releases.
The quintet also released a best-of compilation for the European market in June 2000 titled Totally Unseen: The Best Of The Unseen, which contained two previously unreleased tracks.
For the release of their 2001 album The Anger And the Truth, "Chainsaw" re-accompanied the band in the studio to record the song No Evacuation, a song he originally wrote.
After being a member of the band for nearly ten years and writing most of the material on Lower Class Crucifixion, So This is Freedom?, and The Anger and the Truth, Paul Russo left the band after only contributing vocals to one track on their fourth album Explode. Citing differences in direction, he is now the leader of The Strings, an indie rock/folk band. He remains friends with his former bandmates.
Mark Unseen, the lead singer, formed and currently runs ADD Records. He also briefly joined the Maine street punk group A Global Threat as a second singer, and recorded the full-length What the Fuck Will Change? and Until We Die before deciding to concentrate on his duties with The Unseen.
There has been some controversy concerning the band, including allegations that in recent years they have "sold out". Most widely cited is the fact that The Unseen have produced music videos to air on commercial music video channels such as MTV2, an avenue looked-down upon in the underground streetpunk scene. The band reacted to this perception with the song "So Sick of You."
They have toured Europe, North America, Australia, Japan, and Mexico with many punk heavyweights from The Bouncing Souls and Rancid to decidedly more hardcore outfits like Hatebreed and Sick Of It All. Since the departure of Paul, the band has used many replacements on tour such as members from The Virus, Strike Anywhere, and F-Minus, however, recently, on their MySpace page The Unseen have included a fifth band member, Jonny, an ex-guitarist of A Global Threat who was in the band at the same time as Mark.
2006 also saw the release of Tripp's book So This Is Readin'?, which details the life and hardships of being in an underground band with dry comedy. It started as a lengthy band history on the band's website, but after a few amusing "chapters" he was contacted by a publishing company to release it in book form.
In May 2006, The Unseen announced on their official website that they would begin writing their sixth studio full-length album during the summer of that year. The album, titled Internal Salvation, came out on July 10, 2007. The first song released from that album is a track titled "Right Before Your Eyes". In support of the new album, the band has joined the thirteenth Warped Tour.
Goodbye America
The Unseen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just about everything that I see
No need for a flag or a country
Raise your finger if you agree
The problems won't go away
If we keep our rage at bay
The filth and slime will always stay
The stars and strips are prison bars
They won't let you get too far
The rule over many, by the few
You can't police my mind 'cause I won't let you
Goodbye America! fuck you America!
Pledge allegiance to yourself
Not greed, power, war, and wealth
Remember you were born a human being
Not a part of their machine
Goodbye America! fuck you America!
No more social order.
The lyrics of The Unseen's song Goodbye America reflect a strong sense of dissatisfaction and anger towards the American society and government. The lead singer makes it clear that everything appears to bother him, from the flag to the country itself. There is no need for any of it, and he invites the audience to raise their finger in agreement. The sentiment behind this line is that the country, as it is now, is a source of frustration and disappointment, perhaps even anger.
The rest of the song highlights the problems that exist within the United States, and it’s clear that the lead singer has little faith in any attempt to address them. The lyrics say that if we keep our rage at bay, the problems won’t go away. And if we choose to ignore them, the "filth and slime" will always stay. It highlights that the American flag and the stars and stripes it represents is prison bars that prevent people from getting too far. The rule over many is now in the hands of the few, and we should pledge allegiance to ourselves instead of blindly following the greed, power, war, and wealth.
The song reaches its climax with a powerful line: "Goodbye America! fuck you America!" The repetition of this line reinforces the feeling of disgust and anger, that the country has been left unrecognizable to its people. No more social order is the message that the singer shares, and the audience is urged to break the shackles that have held us captive. It is a powerful song that speaks to the rebellious spirit in all of us, encouraging us to question the societal norms and demand more from our government.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, everything bothers me
The singer is annoyed and disenchanted with everything around them
Just about everything that I see
The singer is frustrated with nearly every aspect of the world they witness
No need for a flag or a country
Nationalistic symbols are not necessary or important to the singer
Raise your finger if you agree
The artist is calling for others who share their dissatisfaction to join them
The problems won't go away
Ignoring the issues at hand won't make them disappear
If we keep our rage at bay
Allowing frustration to cloud judgment will not lead to effective action
The filth and slime will always stay
Ignoring societal issues will not lead to their resolution
If we choose to ignore and play
Choosing to avoid or ignore problems will not make them disappear in reality
The stars and strips are prison bars
The flag is seen as a symbol of oppression to the artist
They won't let you get too far
The political and societal order in place is designed to limit one's ability to progress
The rule over many, by the few
The singer believes that societal power structures benefit a privileged few at the expense of the masses
You can't police my mind 'cause I won't let you
The artist will not be coerced or controlled by societal constructs such as laws or norms
Goodbye America! fuck you America!
The singer is expressing clear disdain and rejection of the United States as a country and its societal order
Pledge allegiance to yourself
The individual should prioritize their own morals and values above nationalistic symbols or institutions
Not greed, power, war, and wealth
These societal constructs are not worth prioritizing for the individual
Remember you were born a human being
The artist is calling for a reconnection with basic humanity and empathy
Not a part of their machine
The individual should reject societal orders and structures designed to limit one's humanity
No more social order.
The singer is calling for a complete overhaul and rejection of societal power structures as they currently exist
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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