Rest Stop

"Rest Stop" is the twelfth and final track on Time 'n' Place.

Composition
Gus wrote the chords for this section very late at night, around 3 AM, on his own in a studio in Beverly Grove in Los Angeles. He was actually there to be finishing their cover of Oasis' "Rock 'n Roll Star" for DEEK Recordings' "Covered in Gloria" compilation. Gus came up with the title "Rest Stop" while landing in Madrid, Spain for a Kane West show. Like most KKB songs, the title for this song came about through a process of matching themes and musical ideas that go well with each other.

The group used a variety of techniques for the song. The chords were written on keyboard, and James played each chord for a while with Gus holding down extra notes on a fretboard. We put the chords through different effects, then edited and layered together. Jenny also recorded noise on Press Play's EMS Synthi A. This was recorded as an alternate option for the noise in "Outside", but the group felt it worked better in "Rest Stop". Anthony Lim, who mixed the record, used unusual stereo field plug-ins for a totally disorienting effect. They also used a telephone pickup coil, a recording of a Nintendo 64 game crashing that Gus made years prior, odd speech through lo-fi samplers, home keyboards programmed to sound like they were malfunctioning, a Game Boy, and so forth.

Sarah's "apocalyptic" vocals here have been the subject of much fan speculation. The vocals were created by recording a very simple fake mainstream pop song in the style of Take That or Coldplay. The vocal was then isolated and placed in this nightmare junk noise quagmire, completely recontextualising it. At the end, all that's left is Sarah singing alone, only in one channel, disembodied in the void. Has your home listening setup broken? "As the trumpets echo round/You don't wanna be a-". And so concludes Time 'n' Place.

Meaning
According to Kero Kero Bonito, it is set at "a deserted motorway service station 'at the edge of the atlas'. It's an allegory for moments where we find ourselves at a crossroads, with no option but to make peace with chaos." The group wanted to end the album with an impenetrable mess, instead of a poignant semantic statement, because that's what all of the experiences that make up Time 'n' Place - and their lives - amount to when viewed at once.

Lyrics
Over the sunset At the edge of the atlas I'm driving alone When I see in the distance A light in the dark And when I approach it A note on the glass We're serving

Inside it's quiet But the tables are shining In blue chrome and white With a fan on above but No service in sight I pick out a booth Sliding in from the side And then I start feeling quite tired

So I know That I'll be here a little while When I go I'll get right back on the road

Let everybody come together The world at peace as one We could live a dream forever It's really up to us And if you're not sure how to start Then open up your heart Let the feeling grow And soon you're sure to know

Light up light up The whole night sky with all your love Just say the prayer We'll make it there If we work hard enough Keep on keep on And give it everything you've got 'Cos only then We'll reach the end The land where we belong

So when we walk among the clouds Hold your neighbour close As the trumpets echo round You don't wanna be a

Trivia

 * At 3:22, it is the third-longest song on Time 'n' Place, after Only Acting and Make Believe.