Up from the warm, almost oppressively humid Texas air rises a din. The sou… Read Full Bio ↴Up from the warm, almost oppressively humid Texas air rises a din. The sound is created by only three people. For now, we’ll just call them D.H., Nikki and Slim. The music that they are creating might be the aural equivalent of walking down a farm-to-market road on a foggy morning just before day breaks.

The clamor began in November 2007 when these three humans came together to form True Widow. As is to be expected, they set about committing this alchemy to tape and from this arose their self-titled debut in November 2008. True Widow was recorded by the more-than-capable hands of Matt Pence at his Echo Lab studio. But then came time to spread the good word. So they headed out West and then out East, bringing their simultaneously breathless and heavy live set with them.

Guitarist Dan Phillips and bassist Nicole Estill trade off on lead vocals, sometimes harmonizing. Phillips previously served guitar and lead vocal duties in the more indie rock-oriented Dallas band Slowride. True Widow's self-titled debut album was released in 2008 on the small Texas label End Sounds. They toured the U.S. in spring 2011 opening for Surfer Blood and …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, and in fall 2011 opening for Boris and Asobi Seksu. In May 2012 they toured with Kurt Vile. True Widow's third album is scheduled for release in late spring 2013 on Relapse Records, which signed the band in January 2013. It is being recorded at the Echo Lab studio in Argyle, TX with producer Matt Pence, who produced their sophomore album.

Of course, they don’t expect you to just take their word on all of this. Fader Magazine said: “True Widow, who grabbed those lackadaisical grunge breakdowns we didn’t even realize we missed, and drew them out in an epic swell of apathy and stoned whateverness". And back to that live show. Crawdaddy said of the band’s 2009 set at the Noise Pop Festival in San Francisco: “a mix of shoegaze and post rock with beautifully mellow vocals and menacing undertones, displaying a knack for delivering the rock goods while keeping the pace slow and steady with dynamics loud then soft—pretty downer music that manages to go interesting places even when it’s drenched in monotonous sludge. No gimmicks, just awesome music."

So now they look out over the horizon. The demos for their forthcoming follow-up show an outfit that have, according to the band, “found ourselves within the band and are in great places with each other, musically and personally.” A full roster of shows across the country proves that True Widow are building up a head of steam and that word is spreading quickly about this most unique of acts. They are at times heavier than francium, and at other times whisper-soft, like a hazy lullaby from a distant future.

Each release has built on the band's unique approach to the guitar-centric intersection of shoegaze and ambient pop, which the band self-described as "stonegaze," NPR described the band's sophomore release as "a warming headphone album for a bleak snowfall, moody and dreamy chords crushed by a rumbling low-end, " Decibel Magazine said the album is "a droning, strung-out record that is, frankly, almost perfect" and All Music said True Widow's guitar sound is "not so much detuned as it is shuddering."

Penned by: Amanda Mann

Bleeder
True Widow Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Wander down to the broken shore
The weight of one to many wars
Another vision to ignore

Apart from ardor
Tied up hands
A deeper water will expand
A million dreams on the floor

What next

Another moon is gone
Slipped by the fallen wilted sun
I know, though I cannot run
Pulled down by ordinary means

A growing laughter in between
I feel another day is done
All movement ends

The time it's gone
Waves have no memory of the warmth
And another day is done

Apart from ardor
Tied up hands

A deeper water will expand
And another day is done

Overall Meaning

The song "Bleeder" by True Widow is a melancholic tune that speaks to the struggles and burdens of life. The opening line "Wander down to the broken shore" sets the tone for the rest of the song as the singer feels weighed down by the pain and trauma of past experiences, hence the metaphor of the "broken shore." The weight of "one too many wars" suggests that the singer has fought and lost numerous battles and is perhaps exhausted, as they find "another vision to ignore." The singer feels numb and detached from the world around them, unable to engage with it as they would like.

The repetition of the phrase "apart from ardor" and "tied up hands" evokes a sense of helplessness and impotence, where the singer is unable to express their emotions or act on them. The line "a deeper water will expand" suggests that the singer is being pulled down by a force that they cannot control, and that the situation is growing more intense with time. The phrase "a million dreams on the floor" hints at the shattered hopes and aspirations that the singer has abandoned, perhaps due to the weight of their past experiences. The refrain "and another day is done" is repeated throughout the song, suggesting a sense of resignation and acceptance of the harsh realities of life.

Overall, "Bleeder" is a poignant and introspective song that explores the theme of trauma and its lasting effects. The haunting melody and minimalistic instrumentation beautifully capture the sense of ennui and emotional pain that the singer is grappling with.

Line by Line Meaning

Wander down to the broken shore
Go to the beaten and damaged coast

The weight of one to many wars
Burdened by the aftermath of too many battles

Another vision to ignore
A new perspective to neglect

Apart from ardor
Lacking passion

Tied up hands
Restrained or helpless

A deeper water will expand
A more profound or intense emotion will spread

A million dreams on the floor
Countless aspirations unfulfilled or abandoned

What next
Uncertainty about the future

Another moon is gone
Time passes relentlessly

Slipped by the fallen wilted sun
Another day ended quietly

I know, though I cannot run
Awareness of inability to escape from reality