Shinigami's LAUGHTER  (2).wav

“Perimeter Lights” is a chapter out of the Fail-Safe Hearts era of Vector Collapse — a song about learning boundaries the hard way after a quiet breakup. It’s that first stretch in a new place where the walls are thin, the phone is loud, and you finally decide who still gets through and at what cost.

Sonically it leans into progressive/symphonic metal with darkwave and retrosynth colors: low-tuned guitars, pulsing synth bass, and widescreen choruses that still leave space for the lyrics to breathe. It’s not about revenge — it’s about drawing a line where you stop burning your own life just to stay available.

Lyrics:

New place, thin walls, one key,
Phone on the table beside me.
First week here, I left it all on,
Every call, every ping, always on.
Heart still wired like the old house rules:
Answer fast, don’t be cruel.
Didn’t matter if it cut my night,
I was my own
Perimeter light.

Now it’s just me and a quiet room,
So I decide
What gets through.

I’m setting perimeter lights,
What I let in
And what stays outside.
Who can call after ten,
Who I don’t let in again.
Not revenge, not a cold “goodbye,”
Just the line where I don’t
Burn my own life.
If we talk at all, it’s on clear lines,
Under low, controlled
Perimeter lights.

Your name still pops on a random day,
Old thread wakes up, has something to say.
I used to answer just on reflex,
Let us drift back into the wreck.
Now I read it twice before I touch,
Ask myself, “Is this too much?”
If the answer feels like pulling scars,
I leave it there
Where the old words are.

You’re not the enemy in this scene,
I just need space
To stay clean.

I’m setting perimeter lights,
What I take in,
What I leave to night.
If you text, I don’t owe “right now,”
I can wait until I’ve calmed down.
Not a wall, not a petty stance,
Just a better
Second chance
For whoever I become next time,
Standing inside
These perimeter lines.

I used to think real love meant
No boundary, no consent,
Always on and always near,
Even when we lived in fear.
Now I know that staying close
Needs a gate that we both chose.
If I ever let someone in again,
They’ll see the switch,
And know what it meant.

I’m keeping perimeter lights,
Soft and steady
On the edges of my life.
If it’s safe, they stay on low,
If it isn’t, they don’t glow.
You can walk your own new street,
I’ll keep mine
On smaller heat.
No more burning through the night—
Just enough to see
Perimeter lights.

Door locked once, blinds half-drawn,
I breathe slow
With the ringer off.
Not afraid, not over-tight,
Just finally knowing
What I guard
At night.

Tags: vector collapse, Perimeter Lights, Fail-Safe Hearts, progressive metal, symphonic metal, darkwave, retrosynth, metalwave, synth metal, concept album


Perimeter Lights

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New album Father Of All... out Feb 7. Hella Mega Tour w/ Green Day, Fall Out Boy + Weezer coming in 2021 http://hellamegatour.com