Today’s Song: San Fermin and The Districts Explore Emptiness with “Nothingness”

San Fermin © 2021
San Fermin © 2021
In their latest collaboration, San Fermin and The Districts explore “nothingness” as a state of being.
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Stream: “Nothingness” – San Fermin ft. The Districts




There is a peace that comes from numbness. The sensation doesn’t last, but it provides a simple and sweet relief for the minute it lingers. It’s something to hold on to, the ever-fleeting sense of nothing is the calm before the storm. San Fermin and The Districts join forces in an ode to the space that forms and eventually becomes what they call “Nothingness.”

In This House - San Fermin
In This House EP – San Fermin
And break
Then you turn back to nothingness
Never meant to hold on
Do you only see projections
Believe everyone
Then you turn back to nothingness
Never meant to hold on
Never meant to hold on too long
Ricochet round and around
Sliding up the walls and
Falling down
Every day bleeds to the next
Give me your love
And I’ll give it a rest

“Nothingness” is featured on San Fermin’s latest EP, In This House. The collection is chock-full of collaborations with indie pop and alternative artists, Wye Oak, Nico Muhly, and Thao, to name a few. The collaboration is unexpected, making it of the best kind. San Fermin’s lush indie sound is a wonderful complement to the alternative rock of The Districts.

The track was a writing project of both groups. San Fermin frontman Ellis Ludwig-Leone tells Atwood Magazine, “It was super fun to work with Rob on this song. I’ve been a fan of The Districts since we saw them at Sasquatch in 2015, and it was cool to put this one together with him piece by piece. We started with the chorus and then layered instruments in until we found the right arrangement.”

In this song, layering is key. There’s an eerie sense of peace about the track. It’s not clear where the song is suspended, think dark and vast – the ocean, or maybe space.  Distortion from the synth and strings is measured carefully against beautiful arpeggiations provided by the piano. You can reach into the atmosphere and pluck the instruments out of their space. The production leaves the track feeling like a distant memory from an all too painful reality. The protagonist must “turn back to nothingness.”

San Fermin © 2021
San Fermin © 2021



In a dreamy haze, the track reveals, “Every day bleeds to the next. Give me your love and I’ll give it a rest.”

Collaborator Rob Grote of The Districts discloses, “‘Nothingness’ is about the illusions and projections we hold onto for far too long that obscure our views of reality.” This song tells the story of two people floating through space. The string that has once tethered them to each other is broken, leaving behind separated beings of light. They were “never meant to hold on.” The nether is full of lost love stories. Embers die quietly in the dark, and tracks such as these illuminate their stories.

“Nothingness” is a love song for separation, falling out of love and into the void.

And break
Then you turn back to nothingness
Never meant to hold on
Do you only see projections
Believe evеryone
Then you turn back to nothingness
Nеver meant to hold on
Never meant to hold on too long
Catapult, you see the future
Washed out in smoke
Bleary-eyed
I missed the joke, am I the punchline
Am I just shit broke or are we fine

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:: stream/purchase In This House here ::
Stream: “Nothingness” – San Fermin ft. The Districts



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In This House - San Fermin

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