2006 saw the band release two, now sold out, limited edition singles: the pouting, James Ford produced, cherry red vinyl debut of Strut and the hip-as hell, NME Single Of The Week runner-up, double A-side, Hot Metal and Hipshake (“This slab of bubblegum metal makes a case for We Start Fires being the acest band in the world!" gasped NME!); as well as tearing up dance-floors across the UK with Nine Black Alps, Giant Drag and The Longcut, hitting Texas for the SXSW festival, playing a handful of Italy’s coolest club nights, bringing down the house at the London Calling festival in Amsterdam with Dirty Pretty Things and being the subjects of a documentary for BBC2s The Culture Show. They also found time to run Darlington’s sexiest indie night, Club Strut, with Becky and Nikki moonlighting as glamorous DJ duo The High Kicks!
The last few months have seen the band head into the studio to record their debut album with Nobby (Hot Metal / Hipshake) and Pat Collier (Jesus and Mary Chain) at the controls. Full release details and tour dates coming very soon!
Magazine
We Start Fires Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That nothing's ever what it seems,
You live your life in fairytales,
You're off the chart, you're off the rails.
Join the dots and work it out,
Oh i know what you're all about,
You're in my head, there's no escape,
In We Start Fires's song "Magazine," the singer examines the superficiality that permeates the media and affects our everyday lives. She has read in a magazine that nothing is ever what it seems, and that we live our lives in fairytales. This line suggests that we are constantly bombarded with images and stories that present perfect lives and people, without acknowledging the messy and complicated realities that lie beneath the surface. The second line, "You're off the chart, you're off the rails," further emphasizes the idea that this obsession with perfection can lead to a state of disconnection and instability.
The chorus of the song is particularly powerful, with the singer insisting that she sees through the facade and understands who the person she's addressing truly is. She asks the person to "join the dots and work it out," implying that they too can break free from the cycle of superficiality if they're willing to make the effort. However, the singer also acknowledges that it's not easy to escape the grip of these illusions, as the person is "in her head" and can't find the brakes to stop.
Overall, "Magazine" is a sharp critique of the media's impact on our perception of reality, and a call for greater authenticity in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
I read it in a magazine,
I came across an article in a magazine,
That nothing's ever what it seems,
The article mentioned how things aren't always what they seem,
You live your life in fairytales,
The writer implied that you lead a life of fantasy and illusions,
You're off the chart, you're off the rails.
You are acting in an unusual, unpredictable manner that's hard to make sense of,
Join the dots and work it out,
You should connect the dots and deduce what's going on,
Oh i know what you're all about,
I have a good understanding of the person you truly are,
You're in my head, there's no escape,
Your actions and behavior have occupied my thoughts completely, and I can't ignore them,
You want it to stop but you can't find the brakes
You desire to halt your current course of action, but you feel powerless to do so,
Contributed by Cooper O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.