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Blackchords have been chosen to support Jet and Powderf… Read Full Bio ↴LATEST NEWS:

Blackchords have been chosen to support Jet and Powderfinger on Oct 29th at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. This is Powderfinger's last ever tour and their last ever show in Melbourne.

Check out our new single 'As Night Falls' right here on Last.FM 'As Night Falls' was written specifically for new Australian suspense drama ‘BLAME’ directed by Michael Henry. 'These Lights' taken from the debut album also features in the film's trailer.

Blackchords released their self-titled debut album on October 5 through Dust Devil Music/Stomp. Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, Blackchords, fronted by songwriter Nick Milwright, have been widely acclaimed on their native turf (“One of the best Australian debut releases”, Reverb Magazine) with critics raving that their darkly majestic collection of understated songs recalls the best bits of Ryan Adams, Elbow and Jeff Buckley. “So far the response has been really positive, especially from the fans,” says Nick. “We strive to write music that moves and connects with people. It’s the reason we want to play professionally.”

Highlights include opening track ‘At World’s End’, which leaks a despair that defies its upbeat arrangement. Richly-scored ballads, ‘22’, and ‘These Lights,’ capture the quietness of intimacy, whilst ‘Broken Bones’ sees Milwright ponder existential matters: “This endless ride has got me I know/I’ve been holding on by a thread/falling towards the end, but I have been held by a thousand hands/we can scream out loud ’cause we’re all on this ride I know”. In ‘Raise My Hands,’ Milwright mourns “the thread coming undone/love it comes and goes” accompanied by a sympathetic string section; and ‘Disappear’ offers an introspective, ambivalent close to the album: “just give me a minute to gather my thoughts/disappear now”.

From an early age, and a childhood spent with, as Nick puts it, "the usual suspects" (The Beatles, Cat Stevens, John Lennon, Joni Mitchell & Van Morrison) Nick knew that there was something drawing him to music, but it wasn't until his early twenties that he was to pursue it full time. In the meantime he tried following in the footsteps of his family – and joined the military. Soon realizing that this wasn't for him, he left to begin training full time in Ballet and contemporary dance at one of Australia’s top dance schools, the VCA. Finally, forced to rest for 6 months after an injury, he decided to open his mouth. "It was something like taking a plunge off this huge cliff, and I'd been too scared to confront it for so long,” he says. “In the end I had to accept that the desire would never leave, and the real regret would be to grow old and to have never given it a shot.”

After collectively finishing uni or working in badly paid jobs, Blackchords began to take shape in 2005, their name originating, says Nick, “down in the belly of a bluestone basement”. In 2006 they created quite a stir when, as an unsigned band, their video for ‘Broken Bones’ won first place at Melbourne’s prestigious St Kilda Film Festival. In 2008 the same song went on to become a double finalist in the ISC (International Songwriting Competition, for best rock song & video). “I really love working with filmmakers and artists to help create the Blackchords landscape,” says Nick.

In 2008 the band were signed to Dust Devil Music, and began work on their debut full-length album. "In the beginning we were almost an alt country band. Then we found ourselves trying to resemble instrumental rock bands like Explosions In The Sky. Now I feel like we've found our own feet and sound like Blackchords. I knew we were walking the right path after hearing the first notes of the cello on ‘Raise My Hands.’ The whole time when the string quartet was recording I just sat there. I had goose bumps down my spine.”

So, now that ‘Blackchords’ is complete and ready to be set free, what does the future hold for the band? "We're just eager to get out there and push it as far as it can go. Blackchords want to make music for the rest of our lives and get better and better as musicians. If we can do that we’ll be very happy."

Dance Dance Dance
Blackchords Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Standing at the old station house
Thinking my, my how do we get out
Its been a year maybe two and no one came through
I must have arrived with the lightning some night

Yeah I strayed

Wake up and I wash my face, in this ghost town where no body stays

Out through the door there's a small crooked store
With books on the shelves that no body sells

I should've danced danced danced that night
I should've taken the chance not waited so long
I should've danced danced danced with you
Cause maybe it was the last time

Pacing around in my room, and I'm howling at the moon
Though the window I saw a flash, too fast for me to catch
So I stand as I stood before
I'm writing letters to you know, thinking maybe I'll get back somehow
The reason I'm out of bed is to write the words that I never said
I forgot about love and she forgot about me

I should've danced danced danced that night
I should've taken the chance not waited so long
I should've danced danced danced with you
I should've taken the chance not waited so long
Cause maybe it was the last time

I was born in the winter
To speak the lines that lie in the back of my head

I was born in the winter
To speak the lines that lie in the back of my head

I was born in the winter
To speak the lines that lie in the back of my head

that lie in the back of my head
that lie in the back of my head

Overall Meaning

In "Dance Dance Dance," Blackchords reflects on missed opportunities and lost love. The singer starts by standing at an old train station, feeling trapped in a ghost town where no one sticks around. They wonder how they got there and why they haven't seen anyone in years. At some point, they must have arrived like lightning during a storm. The singer "strayed," suggesting they may have made some wrong choices in their life.

The song then moves to a scene in a small store where the nobody buys books. The singer reflects on a missed opportunity to dance with someone, realizing too late that it may have been their last chance. They also wish they didn't wait so long to make a move.

In the final verse, the singer is back in their room, feeling restless and howling at the moon. They see a flash outside their window, but it's too fast to catch. They start writing letters to their lost love, hoping to get back together. They realize they've forgotten about love and the other person may have forgotten about them as well. The repeated line "I was born in the winter to speak the lines that lie in the back of my head" suggests that the singer is an introspective person who often reflects on past choices and missed opportunities.

Line by Line Meaning

Standing at the old station house
The singer is at a deserted train station, wondering how to leave.

Thinking my, my how do we get out
The singer is contemplating how they can escape from this place.

Its been a year maybe two and no one came through
The singer has been at the train station for a long time with no sign of anyone arriving.

I must have arrived with the lightning some night
The singer's arrival at the train station was sudden and unexpected like a lightning strike.

Yeah I strayed
The singer admits to wandering away from what they truly wanted.

Wake up and I wash my face, in this ghost town where no body stays
The singer wakes up in a deserted town and washes their face, feeling like they are the only one there.

Out through the door there's a small crooked store
The singer sees a small store that looks rundown and neglected.

With books on the shelves that no body sells
The books in the store have been sitting there for so long that no one is interested in buying them anymore.

I should've danced danced danced that night
The singer regrets not taking the opportunity to dance that night.

I should've taken the chance not waited so long
The singer realizes they should have taken a chance instead of waiting around for something to happen.

Cause maybe it was the last time
The singer realizes that the opportunity to dance might not come again.

Pacing around in my room, and I'm howling at the moon
The singer is restless and frustrated, unable to sleep and expressing their emotions to the moon.

Though the window I saw a flash, too fast for me to catch
The singer saw something outside their window, but it was too fleeting to grasp the details.

So I stand as I stood before
The singer is back where they started, unsure of what to do next.

I'm writing letters to you know, thinking maybe I'll get back somehow
The singer is writing letters to someone, hoping to communicate with them and possibly return to a better time.

The reason I'm out of bed is to write the words that I never said
The singer is getting out of bed to express the thoughts and feelings they kept hidden before.

I forgot about love and she forgot about me
The singer and their love interest have moved on from each other.

I was born in the winter
The singer was born during the colder season.

To speak the lines that lie in the back of my head
The singer was born to express the thoughts and ideas that they hold within themselves.

that lie in the back of my head
The singer's deepest, most hidden thoughts and ideas are waiting to be expressed.

that lie in the back of my head
The repetition emphasizes the singer's innermost reflections that have yet to be revealed.

Contributed by Jayden K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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