“Pencil Marks” overall is about getting older and realizing the impact you’d hoped to have when you were younger may have gotten misguided. The song was originally released as a demo under the title “Who Wet My Mogwai?” Haha. Once the ep was finished, that didn’t really fit. The chorus has lines about “measuring up,” and a lot of the song is about making comparisons and trying to measure benchmarks. Nature and Nurture has a bit of a “home” theme, and I remember my mom measuring my height on our bathroom door frame. So, out of a hunt for a new title, that’s where we ended up.
This was actually the first song finished for the record. I think the lyrics are fairly direct. It’s sort of a telling of how lost one can get in a journey to “make a difference.”
-Drew Justice (via Property of Zack)
lyrics
I can't separate reality from fact
Or read people any better that a sign on my own back
Trust is damaged, confidence is cracked
And has been long enough for everyone to mention it
Remember when we thought
Anyone could be what they wanted to be?
When did my own advice stop making sense to me?
As if it ever did
But what about every awkward kid
That I said the same to?
Now what do they do?
Measuring up is getting me down
So I've got to stop
If this is the wish that I've been granted
How can I ask for more?
The advice I have to give
Is neither encouraging or constructive
So what's the point in that?
What's the point in that?
I can hear the kids two booths away
Stir their coffee cups and say
"When I turn 21..."
We're all so wrapped up in what's to come
In what's to come
In what's to come
Yeah, it's hard
When all I ever wanted was to make a difference
(What's to come)
Oh so hard
When all I ever wanted was to make a difference
Measuring up is getting me down
So I've got to stop
If this is the wish that I've been granted
How can I ask for more?
Measuring up is getting me down
So I've got to stop
If this is the wish that I've been granted
How can I ask for more?
Girl and Her Bad Mood are a dreampop band from Indonesia who excel at nestling heartbreakingly beautiful melodies amidst silvery guitars. Bandcamp New & Notable Jan 23, 2023
This outstanding compilation of bands from Indonesia puts a focus on atmospheric pop and rock music, with hooks 20-stories high. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 3, 2022
Taking cues from Midwestern emo and early ’10 pop punk, this Leeds, UK outfit are full of heart— not to mention hooks. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 21, 2022
Berkely duo Axe serve up four catchy, heavy synth-punk rippers inspired by campy horror flicks and old-school heavy metal. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 28, 2021