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
Where The Night Ends
together PANGEA Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tell me where the night ends, I'll tell you where
Tell me where the night ends
Tell me where the night ends
Up late
With white girls
And hanging out too
With slow eyes, I watch her
Tell me where the night ends
Tell me where the night ends
Tell me where the night ends
Tell me where the night ends
Your long stares
You don't care
I know you want to
Short breathes a whisper
And everythings new
Your still thoughts, cant walk
So I can touch you
You're so dead, a strong kind
I wanna have you
Tell me where the night ends
Tell me where the night ends
Tell me where the night ends
Tell me where the night ends
and Tell me where the night ends
and Tell me where the night ends
and Tell me where the night ends
Tell me where the night ends
The lyrics to "Where The Night Ends" by together PANGEA seem to be about staying up all night with someone, potentially a romantic partner, and the singer is looking for a sense of direction or closure to the experience. The repeated line "Tell me where the night ends, I'll tell you where" suggests that the singer is asking for guidance or a clear endpoint to the experience. They seem to be caught up in the moment with this person, who they describe as having "slow eyes" and "still thoughts" that they, the singer, can touch. There is a sense of desire here, as the singer says "I wanna have you" and describes short breaths and whispers. However, there is also an air of uncertainty, as the singer mentions that "everythings new" and seems to be seeking some kind of clarity or closure to this experience.
Overall, the lyrics have a dreamlike quality to them, with the descriptions of white girls, still thoughts, and deadness giving the impression of a hazy, surreal night. The repeated question of where the night ends could be a metaphor for the search for meaning or direction in life, and the singer is looking to this person to help guide them through it. The final lines, with the repeated "Tell me where the night ends," emphasize the longing for clarity and a sense of closure.
Line by Line Meaning
And tell me where the night ends, I'll tell you where
The singer is curious about where the night will take them and is willing to follow wherever it goes.
Up late
The singer is staying awake past their normal bedtime.
With white girls
The singer is spending time with Caucasian women.
And hanging out too
The artist is engaging in casual social activities.
With slow eyes, I watch her
The artist is admiring someone with patient attention.
I wanna have you
The singer desires physical intimacy with the person they are admiring.
Your long stares
The person being admired is looking at the singer for an extended period of time.
You don't care
The person being admired seems to be indifferent to the artist's presence.
I know you want to
Despite their apparent indifference, the artist believes that the person being admired also desires intimacy.
Short breathes a whisper
The person being admired is speaking softly and gently.
And everythings new
The singer is experiencing something that feels fresh and exciting.
Your still thoughts, cant walk
The person being admired is lost in thought and unable to move.
So I can touch you
The singer desires physical contact with the person being admired.
You're so dead, a strong kind
The person being admired exudes a powerful, almost otherworldly energy.
Tell me where the night ends
The singer is still curious about how the night will unfold.
and Tell me where the night ends
The artist reiterates their curiosity about the night's conclusion.
and Tell me where the night ends
The artist repeats their question to emphasize their eagerness to find out.
Tell me where the night ends
The singer wants to know where the night will ultimately lead them.
Contributed by Nathan L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.