"Eyesore" is the closing track on Women’s acclaimed 2010 album Public Strain, and is widely regarded as a highlight of both the record and the Canadian indie rock canon10. The song stands out for its intricate layering, hypnotic guitar interplay, and emotionally resonant, abstract lyricism.
Musical and Emotional Landscape
- Sound: "Eyesore" builds gradually, layering shimmering guitars and a driving rhythm section into a dense, swirling soundscape that is both uplifting and melancholic. The band’s signature lo-fi production and experimental approach are on full display, giving the song a sense of both immediacy and distance210.
- Mood: There’s a profound, unspoken sadness running through the track, especially as it reaches its conclusion. The music and lyrics evoke feelings of longing, resignation, and the ache of separation1.
Lyrical Themes and Interpretation
- Abstract Storytelling: The lyrics are cryptic and poetic, using vivid imagery and metaphor to explore the dissolution of a relationship and the emotional fallout that follows235.
- Decay and Distance: Early lines like “flashing white and ecru pale / gradually they lost our information / sickly and ungracious, you turn to dirt” suggest a relationship or connection that has decayed over time, losing its vitality and clarity5.
- Longing and Loss: The chorus expresses a persistent, perhaps unrequited love, with lines like “those cruel tricks could not avoid / me loving you a lot / I just could not.” Despite deception and hardship, the narrator confesses a lingering attachment5.
- Separation: The outro, especially the line “you’re not lying next to me,” is delivered with a haunting vulnerability, capturing the emptiness and resignation that comes with absence and emotional distance15.
Notable Lyrics
“Overboard ahead of me
You’re not lying next to me
Just below your swaying palms
Hidden by a bank machine”
These closing lines juxtapose natural beauty (“swaying palms”) with cold modernity (“bank machine”), underscoring the contrast between warmth and alienation, intimacy and isolation5.
Critical Reception and Legacy
- Artistic Impact: "Eyesore" is often singled out as a masterpiece of subtlety and subtext, praised for its ability to evoke deep emotion through both its sound and its elliptical, evocative lyrics210.
- Album Significance: As the final track on Public Strain, it provides a sense of closure while leaving the listener suspended in its unresolved emotional space—a gentle yet definitive conclusion that lingers long after the music fades110.
In summary:
"Eyesore" by Women is a complex, emotionally charged meditation on loss, longing, and the quiet devastation of a relationship’s end. Its abstract poetry and immersive sound make it a standout in indie rock, inviting listeners to find their own meaning within its haunting beauty2510.
