Rapi, dingin, dan bisa terasa kompleks dan dalam.

Kira-kira begitulah Lost Literature, single kedua The House Flies dari album Lions and Ore. Kuartet asal Moline, Illinois ini masih berpijak di post-punk dan goth, tapi kali ini pintunya dibuka lebih lebar.

Drumnya stabil dan bergegas. Garis bas berdiri paling depan, melodius, dan jelas diracik untuk menggoyang pinggul. Gitar-gitar ditumpuk di belakangnya. Kita tidak perlu menunggu lama untuk ikut mengangguk.

Liriknya berkendara di jalan raya tengah malam. Mobil sewaan, radio yang dikecilkan, lampu teras, hamparan semanggi, dan desis statis. Hampir setiap baris bait tersangkut di kata yang sama tiga kali, seperti jarum piringan hitam yang meloncat-loncat, lalu melanjutkan perjalanan seolah tak terjadi apa-apa. Siapa kamu sekarang dan siapa kamu dulu, pertanyaan itu terus berputar di reff tanpa pernah dijawab.

Namun ia hanya punya satu trik. Setelah bait kedua, The House Flies memutar reff yang sama empat kali berturut-turut sampai kita lupa sudah putaran keberapa. Ada kesetiaan yang nyaris keras kepala di situ, dan saya belum memutuskan apakah itu kelebihan atau kebiasaan buruk.

Video musik Lost Literature diisi marionet buatan tangan di sebuah ruangan kayu yang kosong cukup untuk memprovokatif pikiran dan makna lagu ini. coba lihat saja!

Lirik Lagu The House Flies – Lost Literature

Car door crawl, we bow down down down in highway night
Cold and bone leave me leave me leave me the radio down and low
Maybe we’ll hear we’ll hear we’ll hear the songs you wrote
Wrist and neck they grow they grow they grow and split our backs

And who you are
And who you were
It grows and goes on and on

A rental car
Lost literature
It grows and goes on and on

And who you are
And who you were
It grows and goes on and on
A rental car
Lost literature
It grows and goes on and on

Porchlight swoon we sleep down down down in clover
Last bell low leave me leave me leave me in static grove
Stereo we write we write we write the words you left
Teeth my car they grow they grow they grow and course correct

And who you are
And who you were
It grows and goes on and on

A rental car
Lost literature
It grows and goes on and on

And who you are
And who you were
It grows and goes on and on

A rental car
Lost literature
It grows and goes on and on

And who you are
And who you were

It grows and goes on and on
A rental car
Lost literature
It grows and goes on and on

And who you are
And who you were
It grows and goes on and on

A rental car
Lost literature
It grows and goes on and on