Close Your Eyes To See Inspired Illustration - Circa Survive

For illustration No. 53 of my ongoing project, I took on Close Your Eyes to See by Circa Survive, from their seminal 2007 album On Letting Go. This piece dives deep into lyrical symbolism through nostalgic tech and minimalist iconography.

The lyric that guided this piece was:

“Just type in your code and say a prayer”

Visually, this translated into an old-school DOS interface on a CRT monitor, with a pair of tattoo-style praying hands raised toward the screen. The command line quietly returns:

“No response.”

The contrast between spiritual expression and emotionless technology felt like the perfect match for the song’s atmosphere—full of tension, surrender, and a longing for meaning.

Symbolism and Intent

The praying hands, done in a traditional flash art style, symbolize desperation and faith. The outdated DOS prompt becomes a stand-in for the futility of seeking answers in systems—whether spiritual or man-made—that often fall silent when we need them most.

About the Art Style

This piece leans on 1980s and early 90s computer aesthetics, before the sleekness of the internet era. The DOS prompt and chunky CRT design speak to an analog digital age—one where function overtook form, and emotion wasn’t part of the interface.

This isn’t a nod to pixelated nostalgia for aesthetic’s sake—it’s a meditation on how outdated systems can still mirror very current emotional states. The clean, flat color blocking and linework were chosen to keep the focus on the concept and composition rather than style for style's sake.

Why This Matters

On Letting Go is still one of the most emotionally resonant albums in the emo and post-hardcore canon. The way Circa Survive blurs the line between abstract lyricism and visceral storytelling makes their music ripe for visual interpretation. This illustration aims to give form to that emotional ambiguity—finding meaning in the silence.