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Ballerina

by Romantic States

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  • 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

    TWO Romantic States album in one package. The classic 'Corduroy In Italy'—12" black vinyl with full color eurosleeve—and the brand-new future classic 'Ballerina'—12" black vinyl with 2-sided insert. Save five BIG ONES* when purchased together! *USD

    Includes unlimited streaming of Ballerina via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 7 days
    edition of 50 

      $22 USD or more 

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Gorgeous black vinyl, package includes 2-sided insert and digital download. 12" LP. Featuring lyrics and new artwork by Ilenia Madelaire.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Ballerina via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 7 days
    edition of 200 

      $16.66 USD or more 

     

  • Cassette + Digital Album

    Gold cassette tape with 8-panel J-card artwork. Featuring lyrics and new artwork by Ilenia Madelaire.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Ballerina via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 7 days
    edition of 100 

      $7 USD or more 

     

1.
I haven't pretended you've died 'Cause I'm not very good with lies And I'd rather not be surprised To find you someday alive I see you've changed your mind You have her now to watch t.v. And you probably hold her hand And never think of me My friends are very bored of you They all think you're very wrong A friend called to cheer me up And we came up with this song Fare thee well Fare thee well Fare thee well Fare thee weeeell I'll see you in hell
2.
You turned your back on trees But lived for the airbrushed roses On each protracted nail And for strutting under disco lights Into the arms of any danger In the likeness of dangerous men Years later you stumbled into motherhood With a bottle in each hand One to forget the pain The other to forget about having to forget Whatever it was behind those little girl eyes I still remember your thighs Choking from the cut of circulation How you wore your skirt so tight And your intoxicated laugh Spilling into the night After declaring you've always been A tequila girl and that's true But we also knew You were never a real, real blonde You were never a real, real blonde You were never a real, real blonde You were never a real, real blonde
3.
Trick Daddy and hits of LSD On the bedroom floor a brick of weed Robitussin trips, a forty and speed This is how you'll be remembered Sex appeal on a crucifix Last I heard she's turning tricks To pay for titties and for a fix This is how you'll be remembered This is how you'll be remembered All houses pink and bright Strangers entering them at night Seemed so different in daylight Seemed so different in daylight Pastel grandmas in the shade Watching dealers getting paid Fake no fear, or be afraid This is how you'll be remembered This is how you'll be remembered This is how you'll be remembered This is how you'll be remembered
4.
XstrawberryX 03:10
No more calls from Tallahassee to Kansas You are frozen in twenty-three I didn't call on your birthday a decade ago But you exist in the dark, as an afterthought In the lowest part of me You whispered your dreams like they were dying words On the fateful trip to New York In a stranger's bed with the American Flag Tied to a need, on your hands and your knees Like the lines from the devil's joke I hope you've traded the cards you were dealt I hope you're looking through rose-colored lens And who are you now, if not like before? In those innocent days of a snake and a mouse Mislead and mistaken for friends Your hair hangs straight and black In this photograph of you I keep You are lost in the light, but like a bullet in flight Your smile smiles back threatening to get me in my sleep In my sleep
5.
Son Of Barb 03:07
Every Friday in the shallow waters Of a cocktail sea You are born again Into how you wish you'd be The women at your side Laughing at your jokes But they don't get the gist That between the lines Something's amiss Something's amiss How is it that I could Have been so blind When you came for me For the second time Scumbag Jesus Coming for the dead Pinned to sky-blue sheets On your king-sized bed Compared to you I'm on the wrong side of time A minute ahead Or a decade behind I've yet to catch up I've yet to catch up A minute ahead Or a decade behind Now I'm dragging my head across the wall Leaving a hand in the air to break my fall In case I fall In case I fall
6.
I am a terrible man, an awful man Gonna ruin this one for you Because you'll let me, because I can And it ain't over 'til I'm through First you're gonna let me hold your hand Then I'm gonna whisper in your ear Trust in my sweet and careful words I am the definition of sincere You like my clothes, don't you? You like sushi? My car and I go really real fast Let me tell you about the best sex I had It wasn't with you, and I know you didn't ask Duh, duh I'm into you You are exactly what I like Uhh, I'm so into you Nice to meet you, I'm Mike Don't look at me with tears in your eyes I live to laugh at moments like these It's your fault for believing in lies I never said I wasn't a sleaze Can you blame be for who I am? I am the son of another man Well, it's you who doesn't understand I told you before, I am a terrible man
7.
Jason Hatred 03:15
I had a dream about you Your blisters wept into my teeth It was like jumping into An icy river, your kiss The night seemed so flat I saw small houses lit from within They represented home But we drove right past it In my joy I felt the sadness I held inside my mouth for so long And I finally had you But it wasn't like I'd imagined And I was sorry And I was so sorry And I was sorry For you I don't know if I'll ever know
8.
Before the error was trial and there you were Negotiating kisses under the stars You had a friend, a minor version of you He was a wild horse dulled by ketamine nights You used to merge with him Dispelling the breeze in opposites Disheveling the grass under your skin Backyard wrestling was your favorite thing Eyes of swamp green leather Wicked grin There are many just like you They have made more every since On the wall about your bed There was a portrait of cupid at odds With everything I ever was So I held myself hostage from promises I never made with intentions to keep And I let your desires down in blankets And dissolve into floral motifs I seemed so stupid, didn't I? These lessons our never ours to choose Beware of those who have nothing Beware of those who have nothing to lose
9.
Ballerina 03:15
I've wasted so much time Staring into stranger's eyes Mapping out diagrams For how to live a life I've talked about things I didn't understand I've dressed the parts to hold Another's hands In dreams I've been napkins Folded into swans In life I've been a thread Shaking in the wind And all I've ever really learned is If you don't bend you'll break And having all the grace is fine But it still won't get you saved Rehearsing new bodies In silent afternoons In the emptiness Of anonymous rooms Just to forget I even had a name You are doing it to forget my name To be nowhere in your thoughts again (To be honest, I'm doing just the same) And all I've ever really learned is If you don't bend you'll break And having all the grace is fine But it still won't get you saved
10.
Kind Of Bird 03:04
It's late in this room, even the stars have gone to bed The whiskey is overworked, I've already forgotten everything we've said But you still open your mouth and let your weaknesses spill Saying you're the kind of bird that makes an easy kill Well there's no sympathy left For the lonely and bored When the city begins to feel too tight No one is there to open its doors And here you're with the ambassador of broken things If it's love you want that's the kind of help I cannot bring There are no words that can change what time takes away And you're the kind of stubborn man that keeps trying anyway So tonight upon the pillow Where you lay your head to rest Don't think of me, just wish for sleep That helps you dream And helps you to forget

about

"Jason Hatred" music video by Danielle Damico and Taylor Hebden: youtu.be/GQ5-Y-n_Djw

*praise for 'Ballerina' by Romantic States*

"It’s pretty great! ... What makes it special are the words shared by Madelaire, who establishes herself here as a cruel poet of the mundane, consistently hilarious and wicked with a lyrics sheet you’ll want to read."
— Matt Korvette (Yellow Green Red, Pissed Jeans)

"there’s something especially poignant about the quiet power of Romantic States."
— Lydia Woolever (Baltimore Magazine)

"a familiar and beloved staple amongst my most cherished albums ... it offers tremendous emotional depth, but delivered gently, kindly, directly, gracefully, honestly. This isn't just 'good music,' it's special."
— Laurie Spector (Hothead)

"stunning ... it’s like they’ve sponsored an indiepop seance and decided to write the whole score"
— Nathan Lankford (Austin Town Hall)

credits

released November 6, 2019

Label: info ~a~t~ genremrecs.com

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Romantic States Baltimore, Maryland

minimalist rock band out of Baltimore.

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