Former members include co-founder Sam Genders (vocals, guitar), who left the band before the release of "...And Then We Saw Land" (Mar 2010, Full Time Hobby).
Tunng started after Genders and Lindsay met, in the latter's Soho basement studio (below a clothes shop). Genders was a singer-songwriter and Lindsay had the studio (making electronica and living through advertising music production). They found that Lindsay's distinctive way with twinkling sounds, and tight production, significantly enhanced the folky songs they were writing - A signature sound developed.
Tunng's first album was "Mother's Daughter And Other Songs" (Jan 2005, Static Caravan) - However, since Genders made at first the choice not to play live, Lindsay found Jacobs and Bates. to help with live shows. Over time, Winter and Smith became part of the band and have all contributed more to recordings, first on "Comments Of The Inner Chorus" (May 2006, Full Time Hobby), then more so on "Good Arrows" (Aug 2007, Full Time Hobby).
The 2010 album, "...And Then We Saw Land", has been the most successful to date and was recorded in the semi-legendary Play Industries Studio, Shoreditch, with access to its vast collection of vintage synthesizers helping develop a more delicate and inter-woven production style. Glenister added live drums to the gigs, from 2009, for a heavier sound, a long way from the seated studio project Tunng once was.
On "Turbines": "...often beloved for its bucolic oddness and modernist gleam, Tunng's polyphonic future folk blossoms with enchanting melodies, simmering grooves, and found sound that has propelled the band into a paradise of exceeded expectations" (Absolute Punk).
Hustle
Tunng Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I come home, you won't be there any more
And you will tear off your clothes and kiss the floor
When I come home, home, home
When I see land, you will conjure up a storm
When I see land, you will conjure up a storm
And I will tie your hand to the highest mast
When I see land, land, land
And we will hustle, hustle, hustle to be free
Free from all the happy thoughts and smiles across the sea
In favour of the mean, mean moves
And back doors to the heart from where we always, always fall apart
And you will slide on the back of my bike
And you will slide on the back seat of my bike
And I will ride you home drunken in the rain
And you will win again and again
Now it's your turn you will tie me to the tree
Now it's your turn you will tie me to the tree
And you will sing and sing forever you and me
But in the dark I wonder what you see
And we will hustle, hustle, hustle to be free
Free from all the happy thoughts and smiles across the sea
In favour of the mean, mean moves
And back doors to the heart from where we always, always fall apart
And we will hustle, hustle, hustle to be free
Free from all the happy thoughts and smiles across the sea
In favour of the mean, mean moves
And back doors to the heart from where we always, always fall apart
The first two lines of Tunng's "Hustle" signify the end of a relationship, suggesting that someone the singer loved will not be there anymore. The lines are repeated twice and the emphasis on "home" highlights the loss of a place of comfort and security. The next two lines "And you will tear off your clothes and kiss the floor / When I come home, home, home" suggest that the person the singer is addressing is engaging in some self-destructive behavior, perhaps as a way to cope with the loss of the relationship.
In the second stanza, the imagery of the storm is used to signify the tumultuousness of the relationship. "I will tie your hand to the highest mast" suggests that the singer is taking control of the situation, restraining the other person from acting out. The repetition of "land" leaves the listener with the impression that the relationship is lost at sea, caught in a cycle of fighting and turmoil.
The chorus of the song tells us that the two characters will "hustle" to be free, to escape from the "happy thoughts and smiles" and instead embrace the "mean moves" and back doors to the heart, which are where they seem to belong. The last line, "from where we always, always fall apart" is repeated twice, further emphasizing that there is no happy ending to this story, and the relationship will simply continue to break down.
Line by Line Meaning
When I come home, you won't be there any more
I know that when I come home, you won't be there anymore
And you will tear off your clothes and kiss the floor
You will be so overwhelmed with emotion that you will fall to the ground and kiss the floor
When I see land, you will conjure up a storm
Whenever we approach land, you always seem to bring a storm with you
And I will tie your hand to the highest mast
I will need to physically restrain you so that you don't cause any damage during the storm
And we will hustle, hustle, hustle to be free
We will work hard and do whatever it takes to be free
Free from all the happy thoughts and smiles across the sea
We are leaving behind the happy memories and people we know across the sea
In favour of the mean, mean moves
Our actions will be selfish and potentially hurtful to others
And back doors to the heart from where we always, always fall apart
We will continue to hurt each other emotionally and damage our relationship
And you will slide on the back of my bike
You will ride on the back of my bike
And I will ride you home drunken in the rain
I will be drunk and you will be riding on the back of my bike in the rain
And you will win again and again
You always seem to come out on top
Now it's your turn you will tie me to the tree
You will take control and tie me up to a tree
And you will sing and sing forever you and me
We will sing and be together forever
But in the dark I wonder what you see
In private, I wonder what you truly think and feel about me
Contributed by Alexandra T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Halibaster Dillibickus
This is the kind of music that grows on you. Thus band is definitely a hidden gem.
Jo
One of my favourite bands!
Diego
nice song
Anthony Bertrand
doesn't the intro sound like the scooby-doo opening ?
noooreally
purgatory ?
Walls_of_Skulls
No thanks