Turin Brakes is an English band comprising original duo of Olly Knights and… Read Full Bio ↴Turin Brakes is an English band comprising original duo of Olly Knights and Gale Paridjanian, and long-term collaborators Rob Allum and Eddie Myer. Hailing from Balham, London, they had a UK top 5 hit in 2003 with their song "Painkiller (Summer Rain)" on Cooking Vinyl.

Turin Brakes has been compared to many of the New Acoustic Movement's bands spawned in the late 90s such as Elbow, Starsailor, I Am Kloot (who were a support band for Turin Brakes on their Ether Song tour) and the Norwegian band the Kings of Convenience.

Their debut album "The Optimist LP" (2001) was nominated for the Mercury Prize that same year. In 2003 "Ether Song" got to #3 in the UK album charts and spawned a Top 5 single "Pain Killer". Further commercial success was not achieved. In 2005 "JackInABox" meant some sort of return to the first album, but this time with more production and a more diverse sound. Again the critics loved it, but the buying public seemed not to. It got to no. 9 in its first week (without a hit single - "Fishing For A Dream" got to #35), but had no further commercial success. This might have been the effect of the decision by the band and the record company to take the slow path (doing just a short UK tour and not doing as much promotion as they used to), so that Olly Knights (the singer) could also focus on his new family life.

In the summer of 2005 the boys toured the USA and Canada, followed by an acoustic tour taking the band to Germany, The Netherlands and Italy. 2005 ended with a longer acoustic UK tour, of which the closing night in the Palladium in London was recorded and released as a download only live album the day after. The album sold quite well on iTunes, riding the top of the download charts in several countries.

The band spent the first half of 2006 writing new songs, occasionally performing both new and old work at small gigs across the UK. The band did an intimate tour in November 2006 to try out new material. In January 2007 the band entered a small studio in London to record their 4th album with producer Ethan Johns. After three weeks the band took a break (on January 29th Gale's wife gave birth to a daughter), but the sessions were resumed several weeks later in a bigger studio (also in London). On the last day of March 2007 the band announced that they had finished the recording sessions, and recorded 17 songs.

Their 2007 album, "Dark on Fire", was preceded by a download-only single "Stalker".

The band released their 5th studio album in March 2010 titled "Outbursts".

Their sixth album, We Were Here, was released 30 September 2013, and their seventh album Lost Property (recorded at Rockfield Studios with producer Ali Staton) was released on 29 January 2016.

On 26 January 2018 the band released their eighth album Invisible Storm.

The Optimist
Turin Brakes Lyrics

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Sitting here staring out the window
Traffic always makes me feel like I'm coming home.
Cold blood bleeding still at least I'm breathing.
Patiently waiting clinging to my mobile phone.
Cracked skulls with a creepy mind inside.
I'm planning the greatest of escapes you know.
Patiently waiting in the line.
Soon I'm gonna stand up

Yeah I'm gonna rear up and there's no escape.
Lonely planet

Cold blood bleeding still at least I'm breathing.
Patiently waiting soon I'm gonna take control.
Cracked skulls with a creepy mind inside.
I'm planning the greatest of escapes you know.
Patiently waiting in the line.
Soon I'm gonna stand up
Yeah I'm gonna rear up and there's no escape.
Lonely planet

Oh its too late lonely planet

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Turin Brakes’s song “The Optimist” seem to be about someone who is feeling stuck and isolated in their own life. The opening line of “Sitting here staring out the window” creates an image of someone who is lost in thought, perhaps feeling trapped in their own mind. The mention of traffic making the person feel like they’re “coming home” suggests that this is a daily occurrence, one that’s become a bit of a ritual. The line “Cold blood bleeding still at least I’m breathing” is intriguing because it seems to suggest that the person is alive, but not necessarily living. They’re just going through the motions, trying to survive in a world that feels hostile and unforgiving.

The phrase “Patiently waiting” appears twice in the lyrics and seems to be a reference to feeling trapped or stuck in a particular situation. The person is “clinging to my mobile phone,” perhaps looking for some kind of connection or escape. The line “Cracked skulls with a creepy mind inside” is fascinating because it could be interpreted in so many different ways. Perhaps the person is feeling haunted by their own thoughts or memories, or maybe they’re surrounded by people who seem dangerous or unstable. Whatever the case may be, the person seems determined to break free and find a way out. The repetition of “Lonely planet” at the end of the song reinforces the idea that the person feels isolated and alone, struggling to find meaning in a world that seems cold and indifferent.

Line by Line Meaning

Sitting here staring out the window
I am sitting here looking out of the window and thinking about my life.

Traffic always makes me feel like I'm coming home.
Whenever I see traffic, I feel a sense of familiarity and comfort like I am returning to my own domain.

Cold blood bleeding still at least I'm breathing.
I may be wounded and hurt, but I am grateful that I am still alive.

Patiently waiting clinging to my mobile phone.
I am waiting patiently, holding on to my phone, hoping for a call or message that will change my life.

Cracked skulls with a creepy mind inside.
There are people around me with strange and dangerous thoughts, and I must be careful and keep my distance.

I'm planning the greatest of escapes you know.
I am meticulously preparing to leave behind everything that has been holding me back and start anew.

Patiently waiting in the line.
I am waiting patiently in a queue, hoping that it will move ahead and bring me closer to my goals.

Soon I'm gonna stand up
I know that soon I will have to get up, take action and face my problems head-on.

Yeah I'm gonna rear up and there's no escape.
I am going to rise up against all odds and nothing will hold me back from achieving my goals.

Lonely planet
The world can feel like a lonely place, with nobody to understand your struggles and pain.

Oh its too late lonely planet
The time to make a difference may have already passed, and it can feel like there is no hope left in this desolate world.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GALE PARIDJANIAN, OLIVER KNIGHTS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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