Brighton three-piece Something Leather are storming into 2020 with their debut EP, ‘Midnight Reverie’. Out via We Can Do It Records, it features their recent single ‘Farewell Fareworse’, a song about desire and fear of change. Check out the band’s celebratory playlist below, and find their new video after the jump.
“This playlist is centred around the title of our latest single ‘Farewell Fareworse’,” they explain. “It represents the constant dilemma and tension between our desire or decision to change and the numbing fear of that potential future. As we love songs with beautiful dark imagery and poetical lyrics, Phillie (our lead vocalist, lyricist and organist) selected and commented on songs that seem to tackle the ambivalence of this theme… or at least we interpreted them in that way.”
Them Crooked Vultures – Dead End Friends
If we were a gang, I believe we would be called ‘Dead End Friends’ after this song. In my opinion, it’s about individuals who go on a lonely road trip to nowhere, to a dead-end, to nothingness. The tone sways between this conviction to go forward and the fear that the destination has nothing to offer. It embodies all the inner turmoil that encourages us to go further as a band but can also bring us down from time to time. We’re taking new gang members if you’re interested.
The Raveonettes – Aly, Walk With Me
‘Aly, Walk With Me’ is a portal to an unreal escape. The Raveonettes are the masters of creating a dream that you fall in love with while letting the nightmare of reality creep in. I hope we’re crushing your dreams too.
Billie Eilish – bury a friend
Thematically, this song goes in a slightly different direction but we still think it fits with the vibe here. ‘bury a friend’ just evokes a series of fears about the future and losing control. All the questioning and Billie’s constant attempt to own her narrative really speaks to us. It’s deeply unsettling but groovy.
The Kills – Black Balloon
What a powerful song about moving on. It’s so personal and gripping with the most simplistic and efficient instrumentation. I’ll forever have the words “Farewell my Black Balloon, Let the weather have its way with you” engraved in my memory.
Tom Waits – Goin’ Out West
Tom Waits illustrates all the unrealistic expectations that come with moving somewhere else in this song. I know he is making fun of this character going to Hollywood, waiting for a change that will never happen. It’s impossible and ludicrous but it still makes me want to take on the world.
Queens of the Stone Age – Gonna Leave You
Perfect break up song, in my opinion. It’s raw, it has great guitar riffs, great vocal melody and it’s stating a pure rejection of any kind of past and looking straight into the future. The fact that it just repeats “I’m gonna leave you” suggests to me that the speaker has no idea what the fuck is next but is not too worried or in denial about it. Maybe I should take notes.
St Vincent – Fast Slow Disco
Disappearing, change into nothing, is probably a theme that I mention way too much in my own lyrics. I mean, the main lyrics of Farewell Fareworse are “Are we just ghosts of youth, you and I?” I think St Vincent has the same obsession and also mentions the idea of a fading ‘ghost’ relationship in this song (“Slip my hand from your hand/leaves you dancing with a ghost/Don’t it beat a slow dance to death?”) Plus, I’ve played this song on my organ so many times now. I’m ready for a duet, Annie!
Iggy Pop – Paraguay
Isn’t it the perfect song about leaving everything behind and living in our own little idea of a faraway exotic country? But again, like other songs above, I sense that Iggy is aware and mocks the utopia of his dream escape. And then it goes into such an unexpected rant that just brings a smile on my face every time I listen to it. It has such a special resonance to us, we could even call it our anthem: we were listening to this song and the album it’s taken from (‘Post Pop Depression’) constantly before we moved to Brighton a few years ago. Maybe it’s a reminder that we shouldn’t take our dreams too seriously and enjoy the ride?
