Air is about a band (At the Drive-In) trying to find their way in an industry that forces acts into conformity. The band, which would eventually splinter into Sparta and The Mars Volta, attempted to set their own pace and follow their own path, but the industry accelerated things until At the Drive-In lost creative control and became disillusioned. Air is an autobiographical critique on the music industry that reflects on a simpler time in the band’s past, celebrates how far they’ve come, offers clarity on their mistakes, then sadly describes their break-up.

To understand the imagery of this song, picture the band on a boat in the vast ocean. The boat is “riding fine” and keeping pace with the industry. However, the phrase “curving walls” suggest that they cannot see what is ahead of them and are getting “left behind”. Their destination, goals, and vision of the band At the Drive-In, once visible, is now out of sight beyond the curve of the walls and ruined by the music industry and their lack of ability to navigate it.

The timeline of the song is anachronic with the ending of the story presented in the first verse. The chronological order would be Chorus 2, Verse 2, Verse 1, Chorus 1.