Trophy Scars is an experimental rock band from Morristown, New Jersey, form… Read Full Bio ↴Trophy Scars is an experimental rock band from Morristown, New Jersey, formed in June 2002, by vocalist Jerry Jones, guitarist John Ferrara, and drummer Brian Ferrara. The current lineup also includes bassist Andy Farrell and pianist Gray Reinhard. They utilize a wide variety of genres and non-traditional song structures; influences have been said to range from The Beatles to Aesop Rock & from Converge to Tom Waits. The band began as a post-hardcore group but has since embraced broader genres.Song themes have centered around such topics as time, memory, language, and romantic tragedy. Known for their intimate shows and independent booking techniques, Trophy Scars evoke a strong DIY regiment.

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.

Vertigo
Trophy Scars Lyrics

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Chocolate and sweet cream and heaven above
To secretive motives and bags filled with blood
I came to far just to say I gave up
I fell asleep to spite the cruel sun
I broke your spell when I called your dark bluff
Flesh covered ceilings and blankets of dust
I pulled out a razor to fork my soft tongue
Your hands on your heart can't save you from love

Is it truth baby that we've starving for?
Is it life in forever? I guess we always wanted more
We've been aiming for the bed but I'll settle for the floor
I can never be your hero but I'll always hold the door

Hands, hands
Crippled little hands
Pointing up to heaven and shouting our demands
Hands, hands
Crippled little hands
Gesture one more spell...

And stay forever, forever and ever
Forever impossible
Stay here forever, ever and ever
Happy forever
Always together
Forever and ever
Love me impossible

Stay here forever, ever and ever
Happy forever

Overall Meaning

In Trophy Scars's song "Vertigo", the lyrics convey a sense of desperation and madness. The first verse starts with a jarring contrast, juxtaposing the innocent pleasures of "chocolate and sweet cream and heaven above" with the dark and bloody motives of the singer's actions. The singer appears to be at the end of their rope, unsure of whether to give up or keep fighting. The line "I fell asleep to spite the cruel sun" suggests a desire to escape reality and its hardships.

The second verse deepens the sense of despair, with words like "spell", "crippled", and "impossible". The singer and their lover seem to be searching for something more than what life has given them, resulting in a sense of dissatisfaction that cannot be easily resolved. The chorus conveys a desire to hold onto each other forever, despite the feeling that this may be impossible. The use of the word "impossible" repeatedly in this song reinforces the idea that the singer is struggling to come to terms with something they cannot change or control.

Overall, "Vertigo" is a complicated and emotionally intense song that blends darkness and light together, mirroring the struggles of the human experience.

Line by Line Meaning

Chocolate and sweet cream and heaven above
Life used to be sweet and heavenly, like chocolate and sweet cream.

To secretive motives and bags filled with blood
But now it's dark and bloody secrets that fill bags instead.

I came to far just to say I gave up
I've come too far to simply give up now.

I fell asleep to spite the cruel sun
I slept to escape the sun's cruel mockery of my pain.

I broke your spell when I called your dark bluff
I saw through your lies and deception, shattering your control over me.

Flesh covered ceilings and blankets of dust
The environment I'm in now is bleak and dusty, with oppressive walls literally covered in flesh.

I pulled out a razor to fork my soft tongue
In an act of self-harm, I took a razor to my tongue, punishing myself for my own perceived weakness.

Your hands on your heart can't save you from love
Even if you try to protect yourself from love, it will always find a way to infiltrate and affect you.

Is it truth baby that we've starving for?
Are we desperately seeking the truth?

Is it life in forever? I guess we always wanted more
Do we want life to last forever because we always crave more from it?

We've been aiming for the bed but I'll settle for the floor
We've been seeking the highest level of comfort, but we'll accept whatever we can get at this point.

I can never be your hero but I'll always hold the door
I may not be able to save you, but I'll always be there to help and support you.

Hands, hands
Hands, hands

Crippled little hands
Small, weak hands

Pointing up to heaven and shouting our demands
Our weak and helpless hands pointed to the heavens, demanding justice and answers.

Gesture one more spell...
Asking for one more attempt at changing things with a magical spell.

And stay forever, forever and ever
Stay by my side forever.

Forever impossible
But it's impossible for us to stay together forever.

Stay here forever, ever and ever
Please never leave me.

Happy forever
Live happily together forever.

Always together
Always by each other's side.

Forever and ever
For all eternity.

Love me impossible
Our love is impossible to sustain.