In the sleepy town of Beth Page, New Jersey, THE XCERTS may as well have been The Beatles – British AND in a band?! It's true what they say: Americans LOVE that kind of thing.
Staying in a dorm-like hotel room with a cosy kitchenette for two weeks and recording in a basement studio, The Xcerts' second album had been coming together for around nine months. But a mere four weeks had passed since the band found out they'd be recording it with the mighty Mike Sapone (Brand New, Taking Back Sunday, Public Enemy).
Their debut, 'In The Cold Wind We Smile', was recorded with Dave Eringa (Idlewild – '100 Broken Windows') in Wales, and secured the band supports with Funeral For A Friend, My Vitriol, Fightstar, Feeder and Idlewild, and was greeted as warmly by indie-pop fans as fans of heavy rock. Labeling themselves 'distorted pop', they had a combination of sweetness and angst akin to a colder, darker, cosier Jimmy Eat World. This time around, though, The Xcerts are a much more ferocious beast – and they're happy to admit that not everyone's going to like it.
“If we didn't sound different, I'd be worried,” frontman Murray Macleod explains. The first album was – as for most new bands – something of a 'greatest hits' from the band's early years, when they were still finding their feet. This time, the album was almost entirely written in a six-week break between tours and as a result paints a much more vibrant picture; a single body of work that makes sense; a proper album that it would seem blasphemous to shuffle.
The influences have changed too. “There are certain records that we're all really in to that have a similar sound – a balance of raw emotion and good production. ‘In Utero’ by Nirvana, ‘Pinkerton’ by Weezer, 'Either/Or' by Elliot Smith, ‘The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me’ by Brand New, ‘Nebraska’ by Bruce Springsteen and ‘For Emma Forever Ago’ by Bon Iver. That's pretty much exactly how we wanted this record to sound.”
The result is something certainly more akin to the louder of the aforementioned bands. In fact, The Xcerts had to cancel shows scheduled for the week of their return from NY on account of Murray having screamed his throat to pieces in the studio. There are quieter, more tender moments – which 'Aberdeen 1987' from the first album showed they can do brilliantly – but this record is no soft touch. And the Springsteen curveball comes in to play on the big sing-along chorus of 'Belane' – a song that miraculously makes sense on an otherwise unconventional record.
“There's a lot of experimentation on this album,” says Macleod, who credits Sapone for encouraging and cultivating the creative process. “He came up with crazy ideas, and watching him come out with them, I didn't feel worried about throwing an idea into the hat. It was almost like Mike was the fourth member of the band – there's parts that would never happened, had we not worked with Mike.”
Lead single, 'Slackerpop' is a prime example. The original demo was a mere ninety seconds long until Sapone insisted The Xcerts “find the middle eight”. What they found was an intense and unforgiving middle eight that makes the song.
“We'll be more suited for a slightly heavier bill now,” Murray says, unsure of where exactly 'Scatterbrain' fits in the current musical landscape. “It's really 90s influenced, but Mike's made it a really forward thinking album, which is something we definitely needed.”
Murray sums up the record as “the sweet sound of a young man losing his mind”. It's a bit bewildering, overwhelming and even a little unsettling, becoming more clear and clearly troubled with every listen.
“This is an album lover’s album for the fans of the band. It’s not about a particular track or single and should be listened too as an entire body of work with an open mind. We hope everyone falls in love with it like we have.”
The Xcerts debut album ‘In The Cold Wind We Smile’ is out now on Xtra Mile Recordings! Here’s what the press had to say:
“Charged with youthful hope and exuberance, every riff and anthemic chorus points to a bright future for these talented lads." - Kerrang! 4/5
“...this debut is inch-perfect, merging heartstring-tugging delicacy with buoyant distortion... If you're searching for pop with balls but no bullshit, look no further.” - Rock Sound 8/10
"'In The Cold Wind We Smile' is a triumphant, life-affirming classic" - Big Cheese 5/5
GUM
The Xcerts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
and don't you dare say a word
to me
I've not forgotten you
Your heart beats
louder than my voice
screamed
sleeping in trees
All my friends, all my friends will
Fall apart, fall apart
They are saints, They are brothers
But so scared of the dark
Fingernails
Dig deep into my
skin and
my bed is cluttered
with these ghosts
screaming let us
in
we're
looking for a place to rest our skin
scared
well haunt me with your hurt-filled eyes
All my friends, all my friends will
Fall apart, fall apart
They are saints, They are brothers
But so scared of the dark
And if they wonder why
they won't sleep at night
becoming more and more scared
by things that aren't there
All my friends, all my friends are
Falling apart
They are saints, They are brothers
But so scared of the dark
I wish, yeah I wish
I was still close to you
close like the fire that grew
Fire
Burn it down, Burn it down
Water
put it out, put it out
Lover
I am not, I am not
Coming home
The Xcerts's song "Gum" is a powerful yet poignant exploration of heartbreak, loss, and loneliness. The opening lines "Lay down and don't you dare say a word to me, I've not forgotten you" set the tone for the rest of the song, as the lyrics segue into an ode to the ghosts of past relationships that haunt the singer as they try to move on.
The song speaks to the universal experience of friends and loved ones who fall apart as a result of grief, depression, or other mental health issues. It's a devastatingly honest plea for connection and understanding, with lines like "All my friends, all my friends will fall apart, fall apart" emphasizing the all-too-familiar feeling of watching those we care about struggle.
The recurring image of fire and water also adds to the song's emotional intensity. The chorus's repetition of the phrases "Fire burn it down, burn it down" and "Water put it out, put it out" can be interpreted as a metaphor for the inner turmoil of the singer. The final line of "Lover, I am not coming home" signifies the acceptance of the singer of their current state, despite the internal turmoil that persists.
Line by Line Meaning
Lay down
and don't you dare say a word
to me
I've not forgotten you
The singer is telling someone to be quiet because they are still hurt from a past interaction with that person.
Your heart beats
louder than my voice
screamed
you're not the only one who's been
sleeping in trees
The singer is trying to convince someone that they are not alone in the struggles they have faced, even if it seems like the other person is the only one who has had a hard time.
All my friends, all my friends will
Fall apart, fall apart
They are saints, They are brothers
But so scared of the dark
The singer is worried that their friends are not as strong as they seem, and may struggle when faced with difficult situations or uncertainty.
Fingernails
Dig deep into my
skin and
my bed is cluttered
with these ghosts
screaming let us
in
The artist is haunted by past failures and mistakes, and is struggling to move on from them.
we're
looking for a place to rest our skin
scared
well haunt me with your hurt-filled eyes
The artist is asking someone to be honest with them about their pain, so they can share the burden and help each other heal.
All my friends, all my friends will
Fall apart, fall apart
They are saints, They are brothers
But so scared of the dark
And if they wonder why
they won't sleep at night
becoming more and more scared
by things that aren't there
The singer is concerned that their friends are allowing their fears to grow out of control, and that they will end up hurting themselves by worrying too much about things that may not even be real.
I wish, yeah I wish
I was still close to you
close like the fire that grew
The singer misses someone from their past, and wishes that they could be as close as they used to be.
Fire
Burn it down, Burn it down
Water
put it out, put it out
Lover
I am not, I am not
Coming home
The artist is using the metaphor of fire to describe their emotions, and is trying to distance themselves from someone they once loved.
Contributed by Jeremiah H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.