Under The Earth

Album: Mosquito (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This moody track finds Karen O singing about a relationship turning sour. Speaking in an interview with Pitchfork, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs vocalist revealed how the dark times members of the group were going through personally led the music to become an escape, as well as returning to their lo-fi roots. "Emotionally, it's been a rollercoaster," she explained. "Being back in New York is intense for me. I've gone through an identity crisis. It's been very emotionally intense for Nick (Zinner, guitar), too. He was going through a breakup while we were making the album. It was just all kind of down."
  • Mosquito finds the Yeah Yeah Yeahs returning to their lo-fi roots: "There were dark times. So whenever we'd go into our studio space, we would just try and play music that was as uplifting and cheerful," Karen O told Pitchfork. "The music is more of a prescription for what we were feeling. It was like a pep talk. And it's extremely lo-fi. We had a shi--y drum machine, a shi--y sampled keyboard, tons of delay on the vocals. There's a real tone, character, and style to it. And it's probably some of the most tongue-in-cheek stuff that we've done in a while."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Andrew Farriss of INXS

Andrew Farriss of INXSSongwriter Interviews

Andrew Farriss on writing with Michael Hutchence, the stories behind "Mystify" and other INXS hits, and his country-flavored debut solo album.

Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes

Chris Robinson of The Black CrowesSongwriter Interviews

"Great songwriters don't necessarily have hit songs," says Chris. He's written a bunch, but his fans are more interested in the intricate jams.

Brandi Carlile

Brandi CarlileSongwriter Interviews

As a 5-year-old, Brandi was writing lyrics to instrumental versions lullabies. She still puts her heart into her songs, including the one Elton John sings on.

Fire On The Stage

Fire On The StageSong Writing

When you have a song called "Fire," it's tempting to set one - these guys did.

Barry Dean ("Pontoon," "Diamond Rings And Old Barstools")

Barry Dean ("Pontoon," "Diamond Rings And Old Barstools")Songwriter Interviews

A top country songwriter, Barry talks about writing hits for Little Big Town, Tim McGraw and Jason Aldean.

Penny Ford of Snap!

Penny Ford of Snap!Songwriter Interviews

The original voice of Snap! this story is filled with angry drag queens, video impersonators and Chaka Khan.