what's shallow about the lyrics? they're just straightforward, there's plenty of emotional depth to what she's singing about.
Because there's only so many times I can hear about 'driving with the windows down' before it becomes a bit annoying. Might be a personal thing I suppose. I tend to find emotional depth in specificity rather than a general vagueness
The idea that straightforward lyrics instantly means it shallow always bothered me. Just because what she's singing about isn't shrouded in metaphors doesn't mean it isn't good
repetition does not mean shallow. cherry picking a single repeated theme isn't really making your case for you. you're ignoring everything else on the record because one thing is repeated and it bothers you, i dont think that's even close to fair.
I can't really explain why I don't like this. It just doesn't hit any of the right notes for me. I just don't find anything that interesting on it. Like I'm really happy for them but this just isn't for me, which is odd because I usually love this kind of music.
It does to me, because it feels like a generic phrase repeated throughout because it sounds good/fits the meter of the song rather being a genuine recounting of an experience And i'm not ignoring the rest of the record - It's a fine 7/10 record for me
you are ignoring the rest of the record in your assessment of the lyrics. and that's just a baseless assumption that it's not a genuine recounting of an experience. which is my problem with assuming the lyrics are shallow to begin with, you're assuming these lyrics arent genuine which, given the subject matter, is absurd
Anybody complaining about “driving” or “baby” or any of that stuff needs to go back to Threads and listen for “sleep”, “threads”, “patterns”, or any one of the numerous things KC and Jess repeated constantly throughout that record. Creating a theme through callbacks and repetition is in this band’s DNA and it always has been
to bring back a positive, i can't believe how hard the "oh my god i'm saved" line hits me every time.
I think some of us just find that style of lyricism to be lazy and filler. It's not awful when it suits the music as well as it does here, but its not deep at all. "I'm leavin the light on for ya baby won'tcha come my way So come on baby wontcha come my way" That's lyrical skatting. The cadence of the words sounds nice, and it accompanies the song well, but nothing of substance is being communicated there. It happens a lot on their newer songs. Still looking forward to listening to this whole thing, because the pop vibe they've followed really catches my ear.
again, you can cherry pick single lines devoid of context all you want but you're not backing up your point by doing so. and how is there no substance being communicated there? like, the idea of leaving your light on so people know you're home, and using that to communicate the fact that you want someone you long after to know you're there and begging them to come your way.... i dont know, have you never like had a crush on someone before? lol
These songs all have a lot of substance and cherry picking lines to try and prove they don't is just weird to me.
I was drinking in the daylight I was looking for a way to tell you That without you I don't feel right Killing myself just to understand you Killing myself just to understand you Holding up for you but you gave me no sign Holding up for you, am I wasting my time? You know I don't regret when I said too much But I'm hating myself when I come undone no substance
let's take a look at the broader context of some "driving windows down" lines shall we I'm driving faster with the windows down Just to keep my mind off of you So don't you try to ignore me You stood in the light before me Because you adore me I could listen to your voice all night Whisper to me baby, tell me what you'd like Who're you kidding baby, when you try and deny me When you try and deny me I'll make you stay, there's just no way I'm leaving without your love You make me wait to hear you say "If you wanna make a move, come on" If I had my way, I would be yours You say my name, I have no choice Baby it's time to get comfortable You're so emotional when you walk into the room I can't keep my eyes off of you You got me doing things that I shouldn't do But baby I like it Who're you kidding baby, when you try and deny me Who do you think you're fooling, when you're trying to fight it When you're trying to fight it failing to see a lack of substance, unless you dont think being in love with somebody and emotionally attached to that person is substantive?
I think saying lyrics have no substance when it's pretty easy to see where they do for the author, and many listeners, is a bridge too far. Saying something like, "to me they don't mean anything because I've never been unsure in love and feeling insecure and rejected and hung up over it," I guess would make some sense. But to say they're substance-less seems, off.
Exactly. I've been thinking this too, especially after sitting with the record and coming back to it and their past work a lot. I think it's more similar than it feels on first grasp.
Was going to just ignore the "indie rock talent" making a "run of the mill pop album" but I will say that I don't think many "indie rock" bands have the talent to make good pop music let alone an album like this. But then the whole denigrating pop/rock is better thing is kinda the hill I'm most willing to die on because I think it's totally b.s.
To clarify, I don't have an issue with the lyrics on this record; I do think they're less vague and less interesting than Threads to a certain degree, but I wouldn't call them shallow. It's more the instrumentation, mood, and song structure that I find lacking here. Even AZ sounded better live than on the record, and I'm not sure why. It's weird; this album just lacks the atmosphere and melancholic punch the band has always hit me with. I know that bands change; that's only natural. But sometimes change isn't enough.
This is only true if you ignore the entire substance of the song up until the very last two lines of the song. Which, with the context of the song and everything before it, say everything.