Distant Past (song)

"Distant Past" is a song recorded by British indie pop band Everything Everything. The track was released in the United Kingdom by Sony on 18 February 2015 as the lead single from the band's third studio album, Get to Heaven.[1] It was written by band members Jonathan Higgs, Jeremy Pritchard, Michael Spearman, and Alex Robertshaw, and was produced by Stuart Price. The song, like much of the album it appears on, reflects on the events of 2014, with chief songwriter Higgs explaining that it "[looks] at the fact that history repeats itself".[2]

"Distant Past"
Single by Everything Everything
from the album Get to Heaven
Released	18 February 2015
Recorded	2014
Genre	Art pop
Length	3:41
Label	RCA Victor
Songwriter(s)	Jonathan Higgs, Jeremy Pritchard, Michael Spearman, Alex Robertshaw
Producer(s)	Stuart Price, Everything Everything
Everything Everything singles chronology
"Don't Try" (2013) "Distant Past" (2015) "Regret" (2015)

Release and reception

Prior to the song's release, Everything Everything featured lines of lyrics from their upcoming album on social media outlets Facebook and Twitter. The lyrics were released gradually over the course of two weeks, concluding with a line from "Distant Past" on 17 Feb 2015.[3] On the same day, the song premiered on BBC Radio 1 as Zane Lowe's 'Hottest Record In The World'.[4] On 3 March, Radio 1 featured the song as "Track Of The Day".[5] It has thus far peaked at #88 on the UK Singles Chart. The song is also featured in FIFA 16.[6]

Music video

A music video for "Distant Past" was directed by the band's frontman and lead vocalist, Jonathan Higgs, who stated "Distant Past is about primal human nature, and no matter how far we progress in our civilisations, we can never escape it."[7]

The music video was filmed in Cheddar Gorge and stars British wrestler Ed Gamester. The narrative of the video is centered on a fight scene between two cavemen, and also includes shots of the four band members singing against a blue-white background. Higgs explained this as "a strong contrast between the 'past' and 'future' scenes, to emphasise the primal nature of the past and the overly civilised future."[8] The fight scene's time period is ambiguous due to the brief appearance of a QWERTY keyboard.

Trivia

The title track features a bridge scanner sound from the original Star Trek TV show.

Track listing

Digital download[1]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Distant Past"	3:41

7" vinyl[9]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Distant Past"	3:41
2.	"Pressure"	3:43

Charts

Chart (2015)	Peak position
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[10]	79
Scotland (OCC)[11]	81
UK Singles (OCC)[12]	88

Release history

Region	Date	Format
United Kingdom	18 February 2015[1]	Digital download

References

1. "Everything Everything - Get To Heaven - Digital Download". iTunes. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
2. Day, Laurence (25 June 2015). "Track by Track: Everything Everything on Get To Heaven". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
3. "Everything Everything Facebook page". Facebook. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
4. "BBC Radio 1 - Zane Lowe, Jess Glynne + Everything Everything, Everything Everything - Distant Past". BBC Radio 1. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
5. "Radio 1 Track Of The Day Archive". www.radio1playlist.com. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
6. "FIFA 16 Soundtrack". EA Sports. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
7. "Everything Everything - Distant Past". Q. Archived from the original on 23 February 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
8. "Everything Everything 'Distant Past' by Jonathan Higgs". PromoNews. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
9. http://www.myplaydirect.com/everything-everything/details/49668368
10. "Ultratop.be – Everything Everything – Distant Past" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
11. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
12. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 October 2020.