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
Kevin Costner
The Xcerts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You should know the clock will tear me apart
I'll count the hours and the minutes until I fail
It's a flawless art I call betrayal
So follow me, follow me
Into the dirt
If love is warm then why am I so cold
...So she says too leap, you'll soon see...
If you run too far
Just protest against open arms
You won't find your
You fleading for you to return
To the boy you once worst ... to be your guard
Now follow me, follow me
Into the dirt
If love is warm then why am I so cold
If this is love then I could never know
...So she says too leap, you'll soon see...
That every mistake you made was for the best
You are a ... kid you never cared for them
...So she says too leap, you'll soon see...
I told you to leave
I sell with strae
I burn it all down
You've taken my body, I've taken your head
You've taken my body so what's left?
If love is warm then why am I so cold
If this is love then I could never know
...So she says too leap, you'll soon see...
That every mistake you made was for the best
You are a ... kid you never cared for them
...So she says too leap, you'll soon see...
...If you avoid that dream...
Then don't baby
If you shake my heart
You should know the clock will tear me apart
I'll count the hours and the minutes until I fail
It's a flawless art I call betrayal
The song "Kevin Costner" by The Xcerts takes listeners on an emotional journey through the ups and downs of love and betrayal. The lyrics in the first verse suggest that the singer is warning their lover that if they hurt them, it will be a painful experience that they will count down the minutes and hours until they can no longer bear the pain. The line "It's a flawless art I call betrayal" shows that the singer sees betrayal as an art form, highlighting the pain and complexity associated with being betrayed. However, despite this warning, the singer still asks their lover to follow them into the dirt, perhaps suggesting that they crave companionship regardless of the risks.
The second verse deals with the singer's struggle to understand love. They question why, if love is supposed to be warm and welcoming, they feel cold and isolated. This suggests that the singer may have lost faith in love or is struggling with their own emotional baggage that is preventing them from experiencing the warmth that love is supposed to entail. The line "every mistake you made was for the best" shows that the singer has come to terms with their past mistakes and is trying to move on, but this is easier said than done. The song's title, "Kevin Costner," seems to be a reference to the actor's role in the film "Field of Dreams," suggesting that love can be elusive and difficult to understand like the film's theme of building a baseball field in a cornfield.
Line by Line Meaning
If you shake my heart
If you hurt me emotionally
You should know the clock will tear me apart
I will obsess over the time that has passed since you hurt me
I'll count the hours and the minutes until I fail
I will focus on the time I spent loving you, until I can't do it anymore
It's a flawless art I call betrayal
Betrayal is all too familiar to me, and seems perfect in its ability to cause me pain
So follow me, follow me
Come with me, and let me show you the pain you've caused
Into the dirt
I'll take you to the lowest point, where I feel crushed and hopeless
If love is warm then why am I so cold
If love is supposed to bring warmth and happiness, why do I feel so empty inside?
If this is love then I could never know
If this pain and betrayal is what love is, then I don't want it
...So she says too leap, you'll soon see...
Someone encourages me to take a risk, but I'm skeptical
If you run too far
If you leave me behind
Just protest against open arms
I'll pretend like I don't care, when we both know how much it hurts
You won't find your
You won't find what you're looking for
You fleading for you to return
You beg me to take you back
To the boy you once worst ... to be your guard
To the boy you once relied on to protect you
That every mistake you made was for the best
Trying to find a silver lining in our past, and seeing our mistakes as opportunities for growth
You are a ... kid you never cared for them
You are a selfish person who never cared for my feelings
I told you to leave
I warned you to stay away from me
I sell with strae
I've been pushed to my limit, and am acting out of desperation
I burn it all down
I'm willing to destroy everything I have left just to escape this pain
You've taken my body, I've taken your head
You've hurt me physically, and I've hurt you emotionally
You've taken my body so what's left?
You've taken everything from me, so what do I have left to give?
...If you avoid that dream...
Advice to avoid getting hurt and to not hope for things that may never be
Then don't baby
If you're not willing to risk it all, then don't bother trying
Writer(s): Murray Macleod, Jordan Smith, Thomas Heron
Contributed by Brayden H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Maike Scheinkönig
It's such a beautiful song. I hope I will hear it one day live.