We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

The Cypher

by XETAS

/
  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $8 USD  or more

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    black vinyl, includes download code

    Includes unlimited streaming of The Cypher via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $15 USD or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    cardboard slipcase

    Includes unlimited streaming of The Cypher via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $8 USD or more 

     

1.
The Doctor 03:48
The doctor is sick so sick the blood runs down the sink he says, "these days, we all must suffer" The rabble, they writhe around they don't know what to think "we need details, details, details" chorus- an ounce of my blood and a pound of my flesh why do you need more? work our hands to the bone and what do we get? what do we bleed for? The doctor is sick so sick the pills fall down the sink she says, "these days, we all must suffer" The rabble, they writhe around they don't know what to think "we need details, details, details!" [chorus] "I'm running out of patience (patients)"
2.
Ties that bind, they can unwind Will it save this unraveling? Learn how to fight, learn how to lose Learn to accept what you can’t choose Can’t walk a mile in your shoes But i can walk that mile with you Don’t know what it’s like but I can say How we recall our darkest days Won’t be the memory that stays Is it all enough? When you rip the chord When you trust the fall You see it’s cyclical
3.
I awoke on a friday Surrounded by voices I can’t seem to recall But I swear i heard it before It’s always been there Hidden in a warm glow of light Do you ever feel like you’re still dreaming? Ever spinning in space But you’re just living Everything is different Yet somehow the same Trapped in a circle Of a sick cyclical hell You gotta shake it off Like the cobwebs in the back of your head Or the dust off the good book that you never read (Say something, say something) It’s a shame how we all are made Always wanting to fear It’s a shame how what we say won’t matter to you Welcome Well come it surrounds in a cold embrace forever Omni future, present, past But what choice do you have? You gotta shake it off Like the cobwebs in the back of your head Or the dust off the good book that you never read (Say something, say something) It’s a shame how we all are made Always wanting to fear It’s a shame how what we say won’t matter to you
4.
The Martyr 02:56
Crawl to your cross! A mountain made of a molehill to die on A new belief a new landmine to pile on The devil you know and would kill for You can't make mex3 believe it The devil made me do it and I'm bound to keep his secrets The devil you would die for chorus- The serpent's hissing but no one's listening The world of thoughts and prey Crawl to your cross! Fall on your sword! Our faith and mutual fate are assured I turn my back on the rest of the world The devil you know and would die for You can't make mex3 believe it The devil made me do it and I'm bound to keep his secrets The devil you would kill for [chorus] The clock is ticking But no one's listening Do I hear trumpets? A galloping ruckus? A pale rider coming?x2 A pale rider! Crawl to your cross!
5.
The Witness 04:08
(instrumental)
6.
The Cypher 03:30
Pro choice No Choice Who's Voice are you listening to today Red Pill Blue Pill Hard pill to swallow it's tough to say bridge- Are you gonna take it Are you gonna take it How long can you fake it How long can you fake it Are you gonna take it Are you gonna take it chorus- Is this the nadir of all history or a symptom of our times? did we lose our minds in metaphors where did we blur the lines I am grateful for my anger cuz it's hard to feel sometimes but I feel fine Fake News Hard Proof You choose in whose truth do you believe Scorched earth Cursed Birth Watching cities crushed by rising seas [bridge] [chorus]
7.
The Objector 03:53
How many times do I have to say it? Let me explain again and again and again Watching your eyes see my fate And continue to do nothing Watching your eyes see my pain And continue to look away A new thought occurs to me Why do I care what you think? I don’t need this Your silence reads complicit (there is no God if you resist us) The world is cold when you want justice Every time that i speak up I put at risk all I’ve worked to earn One step forward, two steps back There’s always something to unlearn You benefit, I’m cracking at the creases You keep taking but you offer no replacements I keep breaking myself into smaller, smaller pieces I don’t need this I don’t need this Your silence reads complicit (there is no god if you resist us) The world is cold when you want justice (why you gotta be so sensitive? Can’t you just accept that’s the way it is?) NO Have you ever watched the mountain range change? Snowbanks turn to rivers and deepen in it’s face With each rain, more washes away And someday it will be a plain And no one around will remember the old landscape
8.
The Xero 03:40
Rags to ribbons then ground down I am a crusader in bad faith Protestation drowned out As if we give a fuck what you say bridge Turn left, right, left, right, left There is no God to rescue thee I am a bringer of death, I strike With perfect anonymity If this ship goes down, we all go down So listen carefully Keep Your eyes down, keep your head down Keep your eyes down, keep your voice down chorus- Safe within the shadow Trinity The Cross, the Sword, the Bomb Within the shadows All these lives add up to ZERO ZERO ZERO ZERO ZERO ZERO ZERO ZERO Armageddon Rains down I am a crusader in bad faith Crucifixion Nailed down To a cross of lies and heresy (hearsay) [bridge] [chorus]
9.
The Teacher 03:51
To me this place was always a prison I couldn't wait to see the outside They said to raise our hands and be counted They said they wouldn't leave us behind But I was punished by my teacher for reading in between the lines Be quiet here, your voice has no value Be quiet here, you're wasting your time and it was here I spent the best days the best years of my life They told us that work would mean salvation They said we must suffer to survive And I was punished by my teacher for reading in between the lines chorus- CLASS DISMISSED When will you learn your lesson? CLASS DISMISSED Do you recall a time you weren't afraid? CLASS DISMISSED Do as you've been instructed You don't have to feel it DO AS YOU'VE BEEN TOLD DO IT! Today it's even more like a prison There's guards lining up on all sides They'd have us trade our books in for bullets You're safer facing enemy lines And I was punished by my teacher for reading in between the lines [chorus]
10.
The Mariner 04:19
May the sea rise, wind at your back Raise up your eyes, you can’t go back chorus- Hold the light till you feel it Whatever gets you through Hold the light that their shading palms can never wrest from you and there were times when you needed to switch off I know it's true Hold the light till you feel it and let it shine for you Keep your head high, you’re almost home Lighthouse your guide, you’re not alone [chorus]

about

Why do people start bands anymore? To get rich and famous? Compliment re-tweeting? To gain the respect of their peers in the RIAA? I don’t know, and I don’t have a computer so I can’t look it up. But I bet sometimes bands get started with no goal at all, beyond basics like don’t lose the keys to the practice space, and to share the excitement of making music together. From there, the goals become things like, get better at it, and do it more. But, again, no computer here, so, don’t know 100%.

Xetas have been doing exactly that, making wired, joyfully intense music ever since their first 7” in 2014. Their first two albums, 'The Redeemer' and 'The Tower,' are compact, high-voltage, furniture-throwing gems. With 'The Cypher,' they emerge after a year of work as a one-minded beast. The songs blast off and burn, but carry a new depth and weight. Inside gusts of ferocious noise there are subtly sweet melodies that stick in your head; volume gets quiet, tempos charge, slow down, stutter, and implode. The sounds are of a deeper dimension, surprising glimpses of (what’s that?) and (huh wow!). It all creates a rich emotional dimension, which you feel even while the band is thrashing you around in its jaws like an alligator.

Instantly you notice the vocal arrangements. Everybody sings every song, whether dividing verses or in unison, in true crew fashion. It’s a moving statement of intent. Punk rock? To be sure, but punk can mean anything goes. David Petro’s guitars come in countless layers of tension, incorporating punk mowdown and bad trip psych, at times bringing to mind Pen Rollings, Tara Key, and Roger Miller. On “The Objector,” bassist Kana Harris’s voice effortlessly shifts emotional gears as she reflects on power and change, leaving you to meditate on the lyrics “no one here will remember the old landscape.”

Maybe it’s a concept record? Could be, if the concept is figuring out how to survive by being yourselves, how to get better and better every day at being a band, and leaving nothing on the court. Isn’t that a concept every band should have? Is that even a concept? Isn’t that reality? It’s like I have to look everything up these days. - James McNew

credits

released January 24, 2020

Xetas :
David Petro - guitar, vocals,
Kana Harris - bass, vocals

Jay Dilick - drums, vocals



‘The Cypher’ was recorded throughout 2019 at Estuary Recording, Austin and produced by John Michael Landon and Xetas.

Mastered by Matthew Barnhart, Chicago Mastering Service
Album artwork by Hollie Brown

C&P 2020 Xetas

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

XETAS Austin, Texas

XETAS from TEXAS

contact / help

Contact XETAS

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this album or account

XETAS recommends:

If you like XETAS, you may also like: