They originally formed as a short-term project to last only as long as that summer. With bassist Joshua Weinstein and guitarist Michael Schipper, they began to play local shows and gained a dedicated following. When fans presented a high demand for recorded material, the band decided to establish itself as a serious music group. Trophy Scars signed to Brooklyn record label The Death Scene Recording Company in 2005 and with Small Town Records (UK) in 2007.
Their first full-length, Darts to the Sea, was recorded in John Ferrara's basement using primitive sound engineering equipment. It was released in 2003 and reissued in 2006 with a bonus disc containing b-sides and demos from 2003-04. Their second release, Hospital Music for the Aesthetics of Language, gained the attention of critics in 2004. The EP was their first recording with Chris Badami and saw the band taking an unconventional, progressive approach to post-hardcore. Their next EP was Goodnight Alchemy, released in 2005 through The Death Scene. It was markedly much more dense and heavy than its predecessor. 2006 saw the release of their second full-length album, Alphabet. Alphabets.. Trophy Scars demonstrated a conglomeration of different musical genres and styles while still retaining their unique take on post-hardcore. Following the release, the group became a full-time touring band when Jones graduated from Fordham University.
In 2009 they were no longer contractually obligated to either label, so they released all forthcoming material independently. In mid-2007, Trophy Scars rented a beach house in Charleston, South Carolina to begin work on their follow-up full length to Alphabets. The band was heavily influenced by the warm climate, the city's nightlife, and psychedelia. Yet again, Trophy Scars readjusted their sound; this time to a blues-centric style. Jones titled the album Bad Luck as a reaction to the death of his best friend, Ben Brown. Ironically, when the writing was completed for Bad Luck, the band invested their savings into a European tour, but was canceled last minute by the headlining act. Unable to get a refund on their European travel expenses and with their recording contract with the Death Scene dissolved, the band could not afford to tour or raise money for the album. The band was forced to go on an indefinite hiatus with no foreseeable plans to release Bad Luck. Trophy Scars fans, however, banded together and started the "Bad Luck Foundation," which allowed internet users to donate money to the band. Within a month, Trophy Scars was financially stable and able to record their third full-length. Bad Luck was self-released on March 10, 2009, and in January 2010 it was named the 10th best album of 2009 by popular music critic website, Sputnik Music.
Trophy Scars released an EP Darkness, Oh Hell in October 2010; it is a further throwback to blues rock and psychedelic rock of the late 1960s while maintaining a sinister edge. It was included in Sputnik Music's Top 50 Albums of 2010. They released a follow-up companion EP titled Never Born, Never Dead in July 2011. The concept revolves around the several lives of two souls fixed in love through reincarnation and is much more uplifting musically and lyrically. Although a departure in sound from the previous two releases, Never Born, Never Dead was met with strong praise and elected the #1 best EP of the year by Sputnik users.
The band announced their fourth full-length album Holy Vacants to be released on April 21 in the EU and May 6 in North America through Monotreme Records. The album is a linear concept involving a romantic couple who have discovered The Fountain of Youth in the blood cells of angels. Jones states the album was heavily influenced by an intense personal relationship, his brief relocation to Los Angeles, and film director David Lynch.
Bad Dreams
Trophy Scars Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was watching her breathe
I was watching her dream
I hoped she was dreaming of me...
The room was stale and sodden
It's 85 in Autumn
I thought it was hot in here
And I thought about my problems
Everybody wants to solve them
But problems are problems
And these problems are mine
Then I think about time...
I have time, right? Right? Right?
Ben crossed the street just a little too late
So he's gone and I accept that it's fate
It's just fate, what's so great about fate?
Don't get me started on fate.
I saw Ben
In a dream last night
I asked about heaven and he said "Heaven's alright."
Of course it is man
You're still sharp as a knife!
I asked about heaven
And he said "Heaven's just fine."
That's the tyranny,
That's the identity
Of time as a body fifteen feet in the air
All that concrete
Versus timing
What about destiny and Hollywood endings?
I'm not smashing any mirrors
I'm not walking under ladders
I'm not opening umbrellas
I'm not sparking with white lighters
It's just every time we try to meet
Liz was far away from me
In essence or by space
It took Ben
It took death
It took time
Yeah it took time.
I exhale my smoke towards the rotating fan
Liz wakes from her dream then she squeezes my hand
She says "Good morning."
Good morning!
You look so precious just dreaming of me!
She blinked and laughed me off...
She says "Boy if you knew I wasn't dreaming of you...
You are dreaming of me.
Still right now you imagine me say
These words right back at yourself."
Then I woke myself shaking from deja vu.
I saw Ben
I saw Her
I've got Luck
I've got Fate
I've got Time...
Bad dreams... It was like a bad dream woah.
The lyrics to Trophy Scars's song Bad Dreams describe a sense of unease and restlessness that the singer is feeling as he lies in bed next to his partner. Watching her sleep and breathe, he hopes that she is dreaming of him, but is plagued by his own problems and the thought of time slipping away. He mentions a friend, Ben, who has passed away and who he saw in a dream, asking about heaven. The lyrics then ponder the concepts of fate, destiny, and Hollywood endings, before returning to the present moment with Liz, who wakes up and teases him for assuming she was dreaming of him. The song ends with the repetition of the phrase "Bad dreams... It was like a bad dream woah."
Line by Line Meaning
I was watching her sleep
I was observing her while she was sleeping
I was watching her breathe
I was observing her breathing while she was sleeping
I was watching her dream
I was observing her dreaming while she was sleeping
I hoped she was dreaming of me...
I wished that she was dreaming about me while she was sleeping
The room was stale and sodden
The room was unpleasant and damp
It's 85 in Autumn
The temperature is unseasonably warm at 85 degrees Fahrenheit during the autumn season
I thought it was hot in here
I believed that the room was warm
But it's hot outside
However, it's hot outside of the room
And I thought about my problems
I pondered over my troubles
Everybody wants to solve them
Everyone desires to figure out a solution to my issues
But problems are problems
However, issues are still prevalent
And these problems are mine
Furthermore, these issues are unique to me
Then I think about time...
I ponder over time
I have time, right? Right? Right?
I inquire if I have enough time remaining to solve my problems
Ben crossed the street just a little too late
Ben passed the street a bit later than intended
So he's gone and I accept that it's fate
As a consequence, he is no longer with us and I acknowledge that his death was predetermined
It's just fate, what's so great about fate?
Though, fate is just fate, and I fail to see why it's worth mentioning
Don't get me started on fate.
I'd rather not speak any further regarding fate
I saw Ben
I saw Ben in a dream
In a dream last night
I witnessed him in my dream during the previous night
I asked about heaven and he said "Heaven's alright."
I inquired about the afterlife, and he responded with 'It's okay'
Of course it is man.
It's expected that he would say that.
You're still sharp as a knife!
You still possess a sharp mind in the afterlife!
That's the tyranny,
That is the oppressive nature
That's the identity
That is the defining aspect
Of time as a body fifteen feet in the air
Time is represented as a suspended body that floats above us
All that concrete
The physical world composed of roads, buildings, etc.
Versus timing
As opposed to time, its abstract concept
What about destiny and Hollywood endings?
What about the preordained future and idealized conclusions seen in theatrical productions?
I'm not smashing any mirrors
I am not breaking any mirrors
I'm not walking under ladders
I am not passing under any ladders
I'm not opening umbrellas
I'm not unfurling umbrellas indoors
I'm not sparking with white lighters
I'm not lighting any white lighters, which is believed to bring bad luck
It's just every time we try to meet
Every instance of our attempts to meet
Liz was far away from me
Unfortunately, Liz was by no means near to me
In essence or by space
Either through one's essential being or physical distance
It took Ben
Ben's demise had occurred
It took death
Death was the agent that caused Ben's absence
It took time
Time was also a key factor that brought distance and change
Yeah, it took time.
Indeed, time was a significant contributor
I exhale my smoke towards the rotating fan
I blow the smoke from my cigarette toward the moving fan
Liz wakes from her dream then she squeezes my hand
Liz awakens from her sleep, and she holds my hand encouragingly
She says "Good morning."
She greets me with a good morning
Good morning!
An enthusiastic rejoinder to her greeting
You look so precious just dreaming of me!
Softly spoken encomium about her sleep and thoughts of me during it
She blinked and laughed me off...
She dismisses my praise playfully
She says "Boy if you knew I wasn't dreaming of you...
She jokingly reveals that she wasn't, in fact, dreaming about me
You are dreaming of me.
A spirited remark that I'm the one who is dreaming of her
Still right now you imagine me say
At this moment, you picture me expressing the following statement
These words right back at yourself."
Word for word, repeating these phrases back to you."
Then I woke myself shaking from deja vu.
I am jolted awake by the sensation of experiencing an event that's already occurred in the past
I saw Ben
Again, Ben appears in my vision
I saw Her
Likewise, the person who cleared my mind of confusion reappears in my sight
I've got Luck
I feel fortuitous
I've got Fate
I feel that predetermined events will work out in my favor
I've got Time...
I still have the opportunity to alter my destiny with the time given
Bad dreams... It was like a bad dream woah.
A frightening and surreal experience, eliciting an intense reaction to it.
Contributed by Declan M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
xsierrax
It breaks my lil heart that a band I loved for so many years has broken up. Their music is beautiful, and Jerry's words are absolute poetry.
Jim O'Connor
xsierrax wat. They never broke up.
ModestestMouse
Whatever makes you cry yourself to sleep at night
xsierrax
@ModestestMouse lol k
Kspice9000
They released a New album 9 months ago
Ross
@Kspice9000hell yeah they did
Tyler Potter
this was my absolute favorite album a few years back, then it seemed like I started having bad luck when I listened to the album, so I stopped listening to it. I now realize that its definitely worth it.
William Dyer
So glad these albums are available on youtube. most of my cds are scratched from wear and tear and way too many listens. thanks for the feels and nostalgia. still regret not skipping prom junior year of high school to go to the one local show yall played here on the west coast.
xYou Vandal
Best song on that album. Love it
JENdoubleNN
He has such a soothing voice, yet it has an edge that hooks you right from the beginning, and hypnotizes you til the end. I like trophy scars for their originality, not to rough, not super soft... just a blend of amazing and beyond.