Kississippi is the solo pop and indie folk project of Philadelphia-based si… Read Full Bio ↴Kississippi is the solo pop and indie folk project of Philadelphia-based singer-songwriter Zoe Allaire Reynolds.

Originally a home recorded solo project for Reynolds to explore her folk songwriting on acoustic guitar, Kississippi cut its teeth touring on Fest-friendly pop punk, and the project solidified its emo cred supporting third wave genre progenitors Dashboard Confessional. But like her earliest songwriting heroes Cat Power and Liz Phair (who Reynolds describes as “vulnerable and weird girl rock stars, which was something I saw in myself”), Kississippi songs transcend genre, and lend themselves just as well to slick arena-ready production as they do rock instrumentation. After working closely with Philadelphia studio mainstay and mentor Kyle Pulley on 2018 debut Sunset Blush, Reynolds felt encouraged to explore the sonic possibilities in electronic-focused pop, taking inspiration from favorite bands like Beach House, CHVRCHES and Purity Ring. She learned to produce with studio software Reason, delving deep into its “fun synth sounds and weird tools” to develop the lushly-layered demos that would inform 'Mood Ring'.

Once Good
kississippi Lyrics

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To coax me to befriend it
Still finds trouble dreaming
In waterlogged blankets

You held to your distance
Kept your pillow where you left it
I measured it in inches
Just to tiptoe to forget it

Yours is forgotten
Made room for new faces
Unsure if I would be seeing yours again
Yours is forgotten
Made room for new faces
Unsure if I would be seeing yours again

Though I could get teeth aligned
Never pressed them to test this
Blowing bubbles in your mouth
So your palette smells of it

You wore your best dress
And some sort of bandage
And if you removed it
You woulda lost it

Yours is forgotten
Made room for new faces
Unsure if I would be seeing yours again
Yours is forgotten
Made room for new faces
Unsure if I would be seeing yours again
Yours is forgotten
Made room for new faces

Unsure if I would be seeing yours again
Yours is forgotten
Made room for new faces
Unsure if I would be seeing yours again

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Kississippi's song "Once Good" are open for interpretation, but they seem to depict the aftermath of a breakup and the process of moving on.

The first verse may reflect the difficulty of getting over a past relationship. The line "Still finds trouble dreaming in waterlogged blankets" seems to suggest that the singer is struggling to sleep and finding it hard to let go of the past. The second verse describes the detachment between the two people, with one person (the subject of the song) deliberately keeping their distance. The line "Just to tiptoe to forget it" suggests the singer is still somewhat attached and attempting to lessen the pain.

The third verse paints a bittersweet picture of the past, with the singer reminiscing about a quirky characteristic of their former partner (blowing bubbles with their mouth). Finally, the repetition of "Yours is forgotten, made room for new faces" seems to imply that the singer has come to peace with the end of the relationship and is open to moving on with new experiences and people.

Overall, the song appears to be about the emotional complexity of letting go and moving on from a past relationship.

Line by Line Meaning

To coax me to befriend it
Trying to persuade me to get close to it

Still finds trouble dreaming
Having difficulty sleeping

In waterlogged blankets
Surrounded by damp blankets

You held to your distance
You kept your distance

Kept your pillow where you left it
Didn't move your pillow from its place

I measured it in inches
I checked the distance carefully

Just to tiptoe to forget it
Walking carefully to try and forget

Yours is forgotten
I forgot about you

Made room for new faces
Welcomed new people into my life

Unsure if I would be seeing yours again
Unsure whether I'll see you again