Philomena are a young dream pop/ indie rock duo hailing from Scarborough who have already released two singles and have an EP coming out soon. They have been played on BBC Radio York’s Music Introducing with Jericho Keys and Radio Scarborough as well as playing a host of gigs in their hometown. We were lucky enough to catch up with Josh and Fredi and find out more about their song’s lyrics and scored an exclusive look at one of the unreleased songs off of their debut EP ‘Songs I Never Thought You’d Hear’.
Hi Guys! Your debut single ‘You’re The Best Pain I’ve Ever Had’ has had over 1000 streams since it’s release earlier this year. What has the response to the track’s woeful lyrics been like?
Fredi: It’s been brilliant! We honestly couldn’t have asked for a better response to our first single. Hitting 1000 streams was the best feeling in the world, completely incomparable. It’s just really nice to know that people genuinely like our music.
Is the song based on personal experience?
Fredi: In a way yes and no. I never sit down on purpose and think “right i’m gonna write a song about X, Y or Z”. I normally start with the music and the words just fall into place. If something’s weighing on my mind, it will probably crop up a lot in the music. It’s more of a subconscious thing.
What were you hoping to achieve with the lyrics and what would you say the song is about?
Fredi: I wanted to write something honest and true to what I was feeling at the time. I wrote the verses and Josh was the one who came up with the hook. I think they marry together nicely. As for the subject matter, the song’s about when you know someone isn’t good for you and won’t help you at all, but you can’t help but want to hold on to them. It’s an admittance of fault.
Is the ‘raw honey’ mentioned in the first line of the song a simile? If so, what for?
(‘Like raw honey on the tip of your tongue, when did you get so tired of being young?’)
Fredi: It’s a simile to relate to how sweet some people can be, but sometimes that sweetness can be overpowering and then it’s all you can taste. A bit on the tip of your tongue is quite nice, but you wouldn’t want to eat the whole pot.
The first line of the second verse (‘Old narcotics on the tip of your tongue, when did you get tired of being fun?’) follows the same structure as the previously mentioned first line of the song, what is the meaning of that and can you elaborate on the continually mentioned ‘tip of your tongue’ and the varying things on it?
Fredi: I feel like mirroring some of the lyrical structure from the previous lines creates a sense of familiarity within the song itself and makes the song more catchy. As for the recurring theme of things being on the tip of my tongue, that’s to do with things being just in and just out of reach. If a words on the tip of your tongue, you can feel what it means but you can’t quite grasp what it is. In those lines, I’m going for the same mood.
My stand out line from the song has to be ‘Colder thoughts from a smokers joint, curtain dancing, can we skip to the point?’. Can you tell me what inspired this lyric and the overall meaning of it?
Fredi: This one’s an interesting one, both me and Josh wrote that bit. Curtain dancing refers to the feeling of being right on the fringes of feeling good. Like you’re on the outside of a party looking in at everyone dancing. Naturally asking to skip to the point refers to wanting to be in the best bit right now, not later. It has a sense of urgency about it.
You guys released a second single, ‘She Takes, She Takes’ in September as a follow-up track to ‘You’re The Best Pain I’ve Ever Had’. In what terms are the lyrics a follow-up?
Fredi: I suppose it addresses a similar feeling. It’s the same atmosphere of wanting something that isn’t good for you, but this time it’s more self indulgent. If the last song was an admittance of fault, this song is an acceptance of it.
‘She Takes, She Takes’ is also said to be “an insight into what’s to come”, does that mean that we can expect continuing lyrical themes from you in the future?
Fredi: The whole album does share a similar sound. It’s a bit angsty and self indulgent but we really like how it’s turned out. So yes, you can expect recurring themes to pop up throughout all of the different tracks. The two songs so far are definitely a good idea of what the album will sound like.
What does the line ‘She tugs on my shirt and it’s starting to stink, God forbid I do anything that means anything’ in the first verse mean to you?
Fredi: For me it means that sometimes it’s easier to act without responsibility, but you shouldn’t. Sticking by what you believe in is sometimes harder than just going with the flow, but you’ll know when you’ve fucked up because it won’t sit right with you. That’s what the stink refers to.
Is there a story behind the line ‘I leave your house with my pride down my throat. Make it any bigger and I’m starting to choke’?
Fredi: There is! One which I won’t tell right now but it’s pretty much as it sounds. I left someone’s house, I felt shit. It wasn’t fun but it’s a moment that stuck with me, so I had to write it down.
Can you tell us if the line ‘With your sugar sweet life and your big expectations, you’re rushing through everything, you need to have a bit of patience’ is inspired by anyone in particular?
Fredi: That line is quite important in the song as I sing it over and over, giving it a lot of weight. It is inspired by a person that I know and I still talk to. It’s really trying to get at the fact that sometimes we all need to slow down and stop worrying about every little detail. I’m a big believer in the fact that things will probably work out fine in the end if you just stop worrying about them. Life’s too short.
My favourite lyric from the song has got to be ‘So when the Queen of England’s dead, you’ll have to worship me instead’. What is the meaning behind this line?
Fredi: That lines an interesting one. It’s a metaphor about being the person someone always falls back on when things inevitably go to shit again. It’s a bittersweet feeling because on one hand, you’re second choice, but on the other hand, you still mean something big to that person. It’s very double edged and I still haven’t decided how I feel about it. The Queen of England is standing in for whatever you’re infatuated with in the moment but everyone dies at some point, sooner or later you’ll have to fall back onto what you know. Bittersweet, double edged blessing and a curse sort of thing.
The final song we are going to question you on is ‘Pleasure Pain Palace’ which is from your soon-to-be released debut EP ‘Songs I Never Thought You’d Hear’. Can you give our readers a teaser as to what this song, and others on the EP, are about?
Josh: As Fredi and I collectively write between ourselves, our songs can sometimes take a split personality as they mean different things to different people. I cannot talk on Fredi’s behalf, however from my perspective, the songs on this EP describe the transitions and changes that I have experienced/made up until now. As far as ‘Pleasure Pain Palace’ is concerned, this song describes heartbreak in a completely hypothetical sense. It is not so much a song about a person, but about a thing and its potential to be taken away.
The first line of the song’s chorus is ‘And if tomorrow the morning comes, I don’t know what I will do’. What is the meaning/ inspiration behind this lyric?
Josh: Throughout the song, there is a theme of loss or the potential to lose something dear to you. It plays on the idea that no matter the type of relationship, monogamous or not, nighttime is always an opportunity for intimacy.
The stand out line from this song for me is ‘Like we’re running out of time, maybe that’s just how you feel, if temporary you won’t see me cry, you won’t see me feel’. Can you tell us more about how you came up with these lyrics?
Josh: As with all lyrics I’ve written, they all come from lessons learned, whether it be good or bad. The person this song is written for changed the way I saw the world and made me a better person for that. This line particularly describes barriers we all set up, because the only truly scary thing about modern life is being rejected, no matter the context.
To find out what Philomena are up to check out their Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/PhilomenaMusic/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/philomenaband/) Pages.