Somebody said the constant wouldn’t lead you to fame
Nine o clock, five o clock. Nine o clock, five o clock. It’s easy to get lost in the cycle of days. Life isn’t too exciting minute-by-minute; in fact, it seems to slow down the older you get, an unfortunate happenstance that coincides all too poignantly with a general decrease in welcome distractions from the daily routine. Many of us strive to be disruptors, but sometimes our voices are quenched by the drear of the everyday – our drive swallowed by the monotony of it all. Ironically, the band that sings about one such depressive spell might also be the one to inspire so many others out of their spells.
Listen: “Somebody Said” – Little Person
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Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Somebody Said,” the latest single off Little Person’s upcoming sophomore EP, I Feel Fine (independently out 4/3/2017). The NYC-based indie rock project of twin brothers Max and Nicky Weinbach crafts a lively, energizing sound through hypnotic harmonies and golden melodies. “Somebody Said” channels the Weinbachs’ love of classic ’60s pop music, highlighting the four-part harmonies that help their old-meets-new sound shine bold and bright.
Running in winter can be your game
And summer ain’t worth all the pain
The lazy boy mornings that always stayed the same
Sleeping on end from the month of May
You never gave time nor the day
To other kids’ voices that told you not to stay
Little Person lament a particularly powerful instance of depression, noting the character’s detachment and indifference to the world. Lethargy and lack of motivation are telltale signs of a deeper issue, but there’s more to this song than a diagnosis. Little Person’s colorfully vivid lyrics capture a hollow scene: We feel the anxiety and grey displeasure for the moment through colorfully embellished vocals that could brighten up even the dullest canvas.
If you’re not listening carefully, the band’s vocal magic can quickly overpower their message. “During the recording of this song, we made the decision to go all out and do four-part harmony for most of the tracks on this EP, which is especially evident in the more ethereal bridge section of ‘Somebody Said,'” says Nicky Weinbach. “With all the layered instrumentation complementing the harmonies, the effect is almost like a modern-day Wall of Sound approach.” Harmony has always been a revered phenomenon in music, and it is as mesmerizing here, today as it was for Mozart or Debussy.
You wake up at the debut of three o’clock
And wasted all day in your socks
Staying up late was a door you should have locked
The anxious don’t ever see light or dark
When TV was your thing from the start
The only safe haven was playing your guitar
Little Person’s words themselves underscore a vibrant malaise. We come to understand some of what the melodrama stems from in the chorus, as the band sings:
Cause’ somebody said
the constant wouldn’t lead you to fame
And somebody knew
it couldn’t be the call to your name
There’s this aversion to the everyday – the regular, the normal, the mundane, the constant. The subject of the story is trying as best as possible to avoid that sort of lifestyle, but it does take real work to get you anywhere – luck itself will only get you so far. Instead of putting energies into trying hard, the main character sits around the house in a daze. One might liken this to the visual for Glass Animals’ “Season 2, Episode 3,” of a woman sitting on the couch, watching TV while the trash piles up around her.
But “Somebody Said” ends with the character getting out of this depressive state, finding strength from outside and channeling that to make a positive change:
The ferret stayed in
The rabbit stayed ahead
Never gave way to the lead
Rabbit said, “Hey”
Ferret okay from now on.
The lack of motivation cannot contend
The broken has started to mend
The lazy boy mornings of recent seen their end
Their lyrics may be extremely esoteric at times, but no one can say Little Person’s music isn’t fine poetry. “Somebody Said” is an inspired short story that captures the sufferings of depression – whether it intends to, or not – with a spotlight on the fact that, while people around you can be supporting, the courage to soldier on must come from within.
The Weinbach twins recently welcome new members Mike Sanders (bass) and Yannick Sabarots (drums) to the band, rounding Little Person out to a four-piece. The band’s I Feel Fine EP is out 4/3/2017. Little Person will celebrate their record release with a performance at Pete’s Candy Store on March 30th.
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cover: Little Person © 2017
