After recording a 7-track demo in 1995, the band signed to Murmur Records, a subsidiary of Sony. In 1996, they released the 7-track EP The Answer to Both Your Questions, recorded and mixed by Greg Atkinson of Sydney band Big Heavy Stuff.
In November of 1996, the 3-track single "Dean Martin" was released. Early in 1997, the band released a 5-track EP titled Intermission as they recorded their first album, Elsewhere for Eight Minutes, in New Zealand and mixed and mastered it in New York with U.S. producer Brian Paulson. (Brian had previously produced albums for Wilco, Archers of Loaf, Superchunk and Slint, amongst others.) Something for Kate's first full-length album was released in July of 1997. Bass player Julian Carroll was then replaced by Toby Ralph, who toured with the band for the release of the album.
Four singles were released from Elsewhere for Eight Minutes: "Captain (Million miles an hour)", "Prick", "Working Against Me" and "Roll Credit". Bass player Toby Ralph was replaced by Stephanie Ashworth (of Melbourne outfit Sandpit) in March 1998. The band then wrote their second album, Beautiful Sharks, which was released in April of 1999. Beautiful Sharks was recorded in Melbourne, once again by producer Brian Paulson.
Four singles were released from Beautiful Sharks: "Electricity", "Hallways", "Whatever You Want" and "The Astronaut". When the band went on the road with this album they took on an extra touring musician, Wally Gunn, to play the incidental guitar and keyboard parts.
In 2000, as the band were writing for their third album, Murmur released Q & A With Dean Martin, a re-release of the sold-out first EP and single. Also released in 2000 was Big Screen Television, a video collection of 12 of the band's music videos along with some bonus footage.
In June of 2001, the third album, Echolalia, was released. Produced by the band and Trina Shoemaker (whose other recording credits include Queens of the Stone Age, REM, Whiskeytown and Sheryl Crow), Echolalia was recorded at INXS bass-player Garry Gary Beers' Mangrove studio in the Central Coast of NSW.
Four singles were released from Echolalia: "Monsters", "Three Dimensions", "Twenty Years" and "Say Something". When touring this album, the band took on two touring musicians, Pip Branson (ex Sydney band Sidewinder) and Simon Bourke, again, to play the increasing amount of keyboards and extra guitar parts featured on the album.
In 2002 the band released their first DVD, A Diversion, which is a document of the writing, recording and touring of the Echolalia album.
In 2003 the band recorded and released their fourth album, The Official Fiction. Produced once again by the band and Trina Shoemaker at Mangrove studios, it spawned the singles "Deja Vu", "Song for a Sleepwalker", "Best Weapon" and "Moving Right Along".
After supporting David Bowie on the Australian leg of his Reality Tour, the band toured Europe in 2004, taking in Germany, France, Denmark, Scotland, Ireland and the UK, before returned to Australia to release Phantom Limbs, a double album of the band members' and their fans' favourite b-side tracks from over the years.
On the 30th of June 2006, Something for Kate released their fifth album, Desert Lights. Since then, Something for Kate has released 2 singles, Cigarettes and Suitcases which was released on the 5th of May 2006, just under 2 months before the second EP, Oh Kamikaze which was released on the 1st of September 2006.
Monsters
Something for Kate Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Waiting to discover something about the world
I couldn't get with the program
And I couldn't listen to them
It was like trying to think in reverse
And I don't want to slide into apathy
And I don't want to die in captivity
But these monsters
Follow me around
Hunting me down
Try to wipe me out
Wipe me out
Wipe me out
Wipe me out
Yeah I was hiding away underwater
Waiting for distance and buying some time
Trying to be two hundred thousand years younger
So I could excuse myself from human kind
Coz I don't want to be a container
Or a bastard with a ten page disclaimer
But these monsters
Spin me around
Get me down!
Just try to shut me out
Shut me out
Shut me out
Shut me out
Hold it in your hand
Hold it in your hand
Hold it in your hand
Believe it me, believe in it, believe
(Shut me out)
I was hiding away underwater
Waiting for distance, waiting for time.
And I don't want to slide into apathy, and I don't
And I don't want to live in captivity
Ohh ohh ohh, Ohh Ohh Ohhhh
(Shut me out)
The lyrics to 'Monsters' by Something for Kate speaks to the desire to break free from labels and societal expectations. The song starts with the singer hanging upside-down from an overpass, searching for something that makes sense in the world. They feel out of touch with the world around them, unable to keep up with the demands of society. The monsters mentioned in the song are a metaphor for the pressures that weigh down on the singer. These monsters follow them around, making it hard for them to be themselves.
The singer knows that sliding into apathy or living in captivity is not the way to be. They want to break free and explore the world in their own terms. When the singer sings, "I was hiding away underwater, waiting for distance, waiting for time," they suggest an escape from the stresses of life, but they know that it is not the way to live forever. They desire a life of true freedom and not just an escape from the pressures of society.
Overall, 'Monsters' is a powerful song about breaking free from the monsters that hold us down and embracing life in our own terms.
Line by Line Meaning
I was hanging upside-down from the overpass
I was in a difficult situation and feeling disoriented.
Waiting to discover something about the world
I was hoping for some clarity or insight about the world around me.
I couldn't get with the program
I didn't fit in or agree with the mainstream way of things, and there was pressure to conform.
And I couldn't listen to them
I didn't want to hear the opinions or advice of others who didn't understand me.
It was like trying to think in reverse
It was a frustrating and confusing experience, like trying to do something impossible.
And I don't want to slide into apathy
I don't want to lose my passion or motivation to care about the world and what's important.
And I don't want to die in captivity
I don't want to feel trapped or oppressed and let it destroy me.
But these monsters
These problems or challenges
Follow me around
Are always present or lurking even when I try to escape them.
Hunting me down
Are persistent and determined to harm or defeat me.
Try to wipe me out
Are actively trying to destroy me and my dreams or goals.
Yeah I was hiding away underwater
I was isolating myself from the rest of the world and trying to avoid my problems.
Waiting for distance and buying some time
I needed some space and time to regroup and figure out what to do next.
Trying to be two hundred thousand years younger
I wished I could go back in time and change who I was or what I did to avoid this current situation.
So I could excuse myself from human kind
I wanted to be apart from humanity and avoid responsibility or blame for what was happening to me.
Coz I don't want to be a container
I don't want to be defined by my physical body or my limitations.
Or a bastard with a ten page disclaimer
I don't want to be seen as dishonest or insincere or have to explain myself constantly.
But these monsters
These problems or challenges
Spin me around
Are causing me to feel dizzy or off-balance.
Get me down!
Are making me feel overwhelmed or defeated.
Just try to shut me out
Are trying to silence me or make me feel invisible.
Hold it in your hand
Take control of your life and your fate.
Believe it me, believe in it, believe
Have faith in the power of your own will and your own dreams.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: Paul Dempsey, Clint Hyndman, Stephanie Ashworth
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind