together PANGEA do rock ‘n’ roll as it was meant to be – raw, unpredictable, and probably dangerous, but also blazing with intelligence, emotion, and edgy experimentation. The Los Angeles-based trio made their bones as purveyors of post-millennial punk, but with their third full-length release – and Harvest Records debut – BADILLAC, they pay their debt to the supersonic 90s rock that first inspired them. The band has not sacrificed a spurt of precious energy, instead integrating nuance and dynamic momentum to songs like “No Way Out” and the undeniably badass title track. The volcanic riffs and massive melodies are matched by an equally provocative lyrical stance, with songs like “Sick Shit” and the album-closing “Where The Night Ends” casting an acerbic eye over the wreckage of the party they helped start – it’s 3am and the drunken fun has given way to sexual panic, anxiety and self-doubt. Slightly stoned but by no means slack, BADILLAC reveals together PANGEA to be both confident and surprisingly committed, their audacious ambition already impossible to contain.
“It might be confusing for people, assuming we’re like this garage punk band and then hearing this record,” says singer/songwriter/guitarist William Keegan. “But we really don’t want to get trapped at all.”
Keegan first started writing and recording in his Santa Clarita bedroom, his teenage tapes eventually coming to full flower with the aid of bassist Danny Bengston and drummer Erik Jimenez. Known then simply as Pangea, the band played countless beer blasts in and around CalArts, their boozy mayhem and breakneck pop hooks quickly earning them frenzied crowds throughout the Southern California DIY scene and beyond. A string of seven-inches, cassettes, and LPs – including 2011’s ace second album, LIVING DUMMY, released by Burger Records and The Smell’s Olfactory label – followed, as did gigs alongside a veritable who’s-who of like-minded rockers, including Ty Segall, Mikal Cronin, Wavves, and The Black Lips (not to mention 2013’s epic “Burgerama Caravan of Stars” US tour).
BADILLAC was recorded with their longtime producer/engineer Andrew Schubert over three intensive sessions at his Tarzana studio, their roster augmented by second guitarist Cory Hanson (of the electronic pop outfit, W-H-I-T-E). While many bands in their position would have simply continued banging out the party punk, together PANGEA decided to throw a curveball at themselves and their fervent fanbase.
“We wrote like 30 plus songs for this record,” Bengston says, “half of which have the same punky bubblegum vibe of our last record. Then we had this other batch of songs, a little more melancholy, a little heavier, a little darker. I think in the end we just decided to try to not make the same record twice.”
“When I write, there are certain songs that I feel fit the band,” Keegan says, “and then there are songs where it doesn’t feel like they fit. At some point, I was like, maybe we should try some of the songs that don’t necessarily fit. Because I realized that they do fit – they’re just different.”
Though Keegan cites such unexpected heroes as Pete Seeger and 21st Century K Records artists like Little Wings and the Microphones, he fully fesses up to BADILLAC’s most primal inspirations. Indeed, songs like “Why” and the cello-laced “No Way Out” fuse classic post punk ambivalence with fist-pumping stadium rock, their neurotic hooks, throat-rending vocals, and fat, distorted riffs hearkening back to the glory days of the alternative nation.
“To me, the album is so obviously influenced by the shit that I was listening to when I was 16,” Keegan says. “Growing up in the 90s, all that stuff – Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Weezer. It wasn’t conscious, the album just sounds like that. It feels like that music is etched in deeper that music I’ve listened to as an adult. For whatever reason, the music you listened to when you’re confused and young gets in deeper than anything you might listen to later.”
BADILLAC also sees together PANGEA stepping away from their association with a much-hyped scene they believe too often revels in its own idiocy, Keegan’s wry lyrics pushing both their music and subject matter towards unsettling themes of impotence, fear, ennui, and detachment.
“We think less and less about how we fit into this garage punk scene that we never even technically felt a part of,” Keegan says. “We just kinda get lumped into that. I’m not really stoked on what a lot of those bands are saying, there’s a lot of misogyny and stuff I’m not into.”
Like any angst-ridden tunesmith worth his salt, Keegan also directs his gaze inwards, coming to turns with his own cynical view of relationships on songs like the mordant “Offer,” their cracked melodies and jaundiced skepticism fueled by his recent romantic struggles.
“I went through a really difficult relationship where we were breaking up every three months for four years,” he says. “At the end of it, I was just like, “This is never gonna work.’ It was pretty intense and I think that informs a lot of the songs on the album.
“It’s kinda funny,” he adds. “As soon as we finished this record, we broke up for good.”
BADILLAC will drive together PANGEA through 2014, their imminent plans essentially consisting of touring until they drop. Nevertheless, the band finds themselves in the unprecedented position of having to ponder the future.
“We’ve been discussing where the next record is gonna go,” Bengston says, “we still haven’t put our finger on it yet.”
“It’s weird,” Keegan says, “because we never had to have those formal discussions, like, ‘What should the next record sound like?’ It’s always been pretty natural. Hopefully that’s what’ll end up happening again.”
November 2013
River
together PANGEA Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Beat back the waves and beat back your bird to be
To blast something
Now a body in the chalk describes how a day
Drinkin' forties in the street means losing the day
But so what, you're bound to lose some things
Now you're walking down the street like it's a fucking parade
And then it all dries up you get to feel the pain
Lookin' at the river cause the river can run
Lookin' at the river cause the river can run
Lookin' at the river cause the river can run
Lookin' at the river cause the river can run
Lookin' at the river cause the river can run
Lookin' at the river cause the river it can run
Take it outside to the beat of the earth
Beat back the waves and beat back your bird to be
To blast something
Now a body in the chalk describes how a day
Drinkin' forties in the street means losing the day
But so what, you're bound to lose some things
Now you're walking down the street like it's a fucking parade
And then it all dries up you get to feel the pain
Of excess, waste and wanting
Lookin' at the river cause the river can run
Lookin' at the river cause the river can run
Lookin' at the river cause the river can run
Lookin' at the river cause the river can run
Lookin' at the river cause the river can run
Lookin' at the river cause the river it can run
Lookin' at the river cause the river can run
Lookin' at the river cause the river can run
Lookin' at the river cause the river it can run
Lookin' at the river cause the river can run
Lookin' at the river cause the river can run
Lookin' at the river cause the river it can run
Oooooh
At first glance, "River" by Together Pangea may seem like an ode to a simple life of drinking forty-ounce beers and walking down streets like a parade. However, upon closer inspection, the lyrics reveal a darker side to this existence of excess and waste. The singer seems to be lamenting the loss of control and the resulting pain that comes with indulging in too many vices. The river becomes a symbol of change, reminding the singer that although they may have lost control of their own life, the river itself can still flow freely and change course as it pleases.
The line, "Take it outside to the beat of the earth" could be interpreted as the singer trying to connect with the natural world and escape the cycles of excess and loss that dominate their daily life. However, the repetition of the phrase "beat back" suggests that the singer is fighting against something, perhaps their own self-destructive tendencies. The image of the body in the chalk describing how a day seems to serve as a warning of the consequences of this lifestyle. Despite this, the singer seems almost resigned to their fate, acknowledging that they are "bound to lose some things."
The repetition of "Lookin' at the river cause the river can run" at the end of the song drives home the idea that the singer sees the river as a symbol of change and renewal, something that they themselves seem to long for. The line "Lookin' at the river cause the river it can run" is particularly poignant, as it suggests that the singer is both envious of and inspired by the river's freedom to flow and change, something they themselves may be unable to do.
Line by Line Meaning
Take it outside to the beat of the earth
Head out into nature and connect with the rhythm of life
Beat back the waves and beat back your bird to be
Fight against the challenges and temptations that hold you back from your aspirations
To blast something
To release built up energy or emotions
Now a body in the chalk describes how a day
A life cut short is symbolized by a corpse outlined in chalk on the pavement
Drinkin' forties in the street means losing the day
Wasting time and potential by indulging in destructive behavior
But so what, you're bound to lose some things
Accept that setbacks and losses are a part of life
Now you're walking down the street like it's a fucking parade
Feeling confident and powerful in the face of adversity
And then it all dries up you get to feel the pain
When the high fades and reality sets in, the consequences of reckless behavior are felt
Of excess, waste and wanting
The negative consequences of indulgence and a lack of self-control
Lookin' at the river cause the river can run
Contemplating the flow of life and the potential for change and growth
Lookin' at the river it can run
Reflecting on the movement and power of nature
Oooooh
Vocalization expressing emotion or feeling
Contributed by Cooper G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Гендерфлюид
Лирика,не благодарите
Take it outside to the beat of the earth
Beat back the waves and beat back your bird to be
To blast something
Now a body in the chalk describes how a day
Drinkin' forties in the street means losing the day
But so what, you're bound to lose some things
Now you're walking down the street like it's a fucking parade
And then it all dries up you get to feel the pain
Of excess, waste and wanting
Lookin' at the river cause the river can run
Lookin' at the river cause the river can run
Lookin' at the river cause the river can run
Lookin' at the river cause the river can run
Lookin' at the river cause the river can run
Lookin' at the river cause the river it can run
Take it outside to the beat of the earth
Beat back the waves and beat back your bird to be
To blast something
Now a body in the chalk describes how a day
Drinkin' forties in the street means losing the day
But so what, you're bound to lose some things
Now you're walking down the street like it's a fucking parade
And then it all dries up you get to feel the pain
Of excess, waste and wanting
Lookin' at the river cause the river can run
Lookin' at the river cause the river can run
Lookin' at the river cause the river can run
Lookin' at the river cause the river can run
Lookin' at the river cause the river can run
Lookin' at the river cause the river it can run
Lookin' at the river cause the river can run
Lookin' at the river cause the river can run
Lookin' at the river cause the river it can run
Lookin' at the river cause the river can run
Lookin' at the river cause the river can run
Lookin' at the river cause the river it can run
Oooooh
Ego
Words can't describe just how much I love this song
Vihm Helistab
indeed, this shit slaps!
take that back leorio
This sounds like it'd be in a coming of age movie and I love it
Ihateanime11
It sounds like the gary come home punk cover
flyingmachine1945
@Ihateanime11 That’s a compliment! 🤘🏻
SH
How is this not all over the radio?
Navin Reza
026SH they played this on a a major radio station a few months ago and they never played it again since
puschka08
An amazing friend recomended this band and I can't stop listening to this song!
Angel Medina
They are an amazing friend. That's for sure
Jay bird
@Angel Medina good to know people like you still exist